Ambler Borough Council was presented with the draft ordinance for billboards at the Tuesday night meeting.

No action was taken on the ordinance, however, the Council listened to residents concerns about billboards coming to the borough.

Councilman Thomas Kenney began the discussion by saying, “Just so we can give you [the residents] and update…[Solicitor Joseph Brennan] has prepared a draft ordinance” to limit future signage in Ambler. He added that the Council is going to review the ordinance and fine-tune the square footage permitted.

“We do not want billboards,” said Kenney.

Brennan said there are two options: The borough can defend their ordinance that excludes billboards or the borough can declare their ordinance invalid and rework the ordinance to include regulations on billboards.

The borough has opted to declare their ordinance invalid and is in the process of writing a new ordinance making perimeters for the size and location for billboards.

Brennan suggested that defending the ordinance could be expensive, upwards of $250,000, and if the borough loses, the courts will decide the size and location for billboards in the borough.

“It’s better to come up with tight criteria,” said Brennan.

He added that the billboard company will not like the tight criteria and he will be fighting them in court anyway.

“This limited the damage,” said Borough Manager Mary Aversa.

“If we fight this, we’re not limiting the damage, we’re opening the doors wide open,” added Kenney.

Mary Margaret, a resident of Forest Ave. in Ambler, said a report she found showed that property values near the billboard could decrease by $31,000.

“[Fighting the billboards] could cost an arm and a leg” and the borough could end up with a lot worse, said Kenney.

Rep. Todd Stephens said there are two bills in Harrisburg right now to give local municipalities “more teeth” to fight against billboards and to regulate size and type of billboards.

He added that there have been public hearings on at least one of the bills but no further movement on either of them.

The Planning Commission is planning on reviewing the draft ordinance at their March meeting and the Finance and Planning Committee will review the ordinance at the new committee meeting.