relative to a certain highway sign in Concord.
What changed between versions
Only the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce or a successor nonprofit promoting visitation and commerce in downtown Concord can install the sign. The introduced version allowed any Concord-based nonprofit entity.
The bill now permits up to 20% of the display to be used for for-profit entities to offset erection and maintenance costs, replacing the original flat prohibition on commercial advertising.
The sign may be as large as the largest sign permitted by Concord's sign ordinance, may be internally lit, and may change its message only 4 times in any 24-hour period. The original required compliance with general size, lighting, and structural requirements without these specifics.
The sign must be located in a parcel already in existence as of the effective date, rather than on a new parcel or easement requiring municipal approval.
The requirement that the sign be subject to limits on rotating messages as determined by municipal approval was removed, replaced by the fixed 4-changes-per-24-hours limit.
Events promoted must occur specifically in the downtown area of Concord between exits 13 and 15 of Interstate 93, a tighter geographic boundary than the original 'downtown Concord' language.
Funding and maintenance is restricted to the Chamber of Commerce or its successor organization only, removing the broader category of 'eligible nonprofit organizations' from the introduced version.
The fiscal note now warns that the bill may violate the state's agreement with the Federal Highway Administration under the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, potentially resulting in withholding of up to 10% of federal highway revenue (estimated $20-23 million per year).
