Peachtree City’s ordinance about signs in the city-owned rights of way along roads is too restrictive, according to city staff and the city attorney.

No, it’s too loose, allowing too many kinds and sizes of signs, said four members of the City Council last week.

The council prevailed, voting 4-0 to direct city staff to bring back a change to the sign ordinance that will allow only real estate “directional” signs and city-approved yard sale signs alongside city streets.

City Attorney Ted Meeker worried that the city’s sign rules will fare badly in any federal court challenge. “The previous ordinance allowed commercial signs, but not private signs,” Meeker told the council Oct. 20. “It won’t stand up in court.”

Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford said she wanted just two kinds of signs along city streets: commercial real estate and private yard sale signs.

Mayor Steve Brown said recent federal court cases came down on the side of free speech and more signs rather than fewer.

Former City Clerk Frances Meaders made a passionate plea to “stick to our guns. We’re changing it before we even have a problem.”

Councilman Steve Rapson agreed that the city should support the more restrictive sign rules of the city’s past. “We could explain our objective to a federal judge,” he said. “Peachtree City is different.”

For now, all signs are banned from city streets, but that’s likely to change when the new rules are considered next month.