Rapid City May Settle Several-Year Case With Billboard Company

The Rapid City government may settle with a billboard company that’s suing the city over an ordinance that prevents full motion video advertising.
 
It’s one of several lawsuits the city’s been involved with since a 2011 when voters approved various billboard ordinances.
 
Epic Outdoor Advertising has agreed to dismiss its lawsuit against the city in exchange for council to change the maximum size of billboards along interstate 90. The change would more than double the allowable size for advertisements and increase the maximum height by ten feet.
 
According to city documents, many billboards along the interstate outside of the city are already that big. The agreement does not make changes to the size or height of billboards anywhere else in the city.
 
Joel Landeen is the city attorney for Rapid City. He says the settlement will take care of several legal battles with Epic Outdoor Advertising.
 
“This has already gone on for a number of years. The question the council needs to answer is is whether or not this agreement is in the best interest of the community," Landeen says. "And by that, they need to weigh what our risk is on the legal side with Epic’s lawsuit and what the potential damages are if we lose. The cost of the litigation, versus the impact of the concessions they’ve made in order to get this settlement done, are going to have on the community.”
 
Those upset with the settlement say the city needs to see the lawsuit through.
 
Debra Jensen is the secretary for Scenic Rapid City, the group that led ballot initiatives reigning in city ordinances on billboards. She says city should not settle the lawsuit. She says the newly elected city council should handle the decision.
 
“Having a digital billboard that is 672 square feet along the interstate in a city that is already has so many billboards and so much visual clutter of all kinds,” Jensen says. “Is this a safe thing to do? Is this a good thing to do? Is this the best thing to do for the community and the citizens of Rapid City?”
 
The Rapid City Common Council is set to approve or deny the settlement during Monday’s meeting.