Please join

Scenic Texas
Texas City Attorneys Association
Texas Conference of Urban Counties
Texas Municipal League

for a

Sign Seminar:
Current Issues in Sign Regulation

Thursday, September 16, 2010
8 am - 8:30 am registration
8:30 am - 4:30 pm seminar

Hilton Austin Hotel
500 East 4th Street
Austin, Texas

Click here to register for the event.

 
 

Gain the information and tools necessary to save taxpayer dollars, limit your exposure to litigation, enhance economic development and become a beacon community for visitors, events and jobs. Participate in engaging discussion about current issues in local government sign regulation. All city and county attorneys, local elected officials, urban planners and scenic advocates will benefit from this forum.

Lawyers will earn 5.5 hours of CLE credit
Accredited by the State Bar of Texas for 5.5 MCLE Hours
Pending CM approval from the American Planning Association/AICP

SPEAKERS

Alan Bojorquez
Partner, Bojorquez Law Firm

Alan Bojorquez represents home-rule and general-law municipalities across Texas. He maintains a local government practice valuing the representation of counties, school districts, and special districts. He is a former Assistant General Counsel for the
Texas Municipal League.

Susan D. Bonnen
Assistant Attorney General, State of Texas

Susan Bonnen is an Assistant Attorney General with the Transportation Division of the Texas AG’s Office. She is board-certified in Civil Appellate Law and has served as lead counsel for the State of Texas in numerous condemnation appeals, including the Supreme Court case of State v. Central Expressway Sign Associates, which has significant implications for future condemnation
and property tax evaluations regarding billboards.

William D. Brinton
Shareholder, Rogers Towers, P.A.

One of the nation’s leading attorneys in complex First Amendment and land use litigation involving billboards and other signage, Bill Brinton has written amicus curiae briefs on behalf of the National League of Cities, the American Planning Association, the International Municipal Lawyers Association and Scenic America in sign control cases before several U.S. Courts of Appeal.

Gus Cannon
Director of Resource Management, Right of Way Division, TxDOT

Gus Cannon manages the regulations and enforcement related to TxDOT's outdoor advertising program for all federal highways and rural roads in Texas. Gus’ private sector career included 14 years as a commercial real estate appraiser.

Jonathan Day
Of Counsel, Andrews & Kurth LLP

Jonathan Day formerly served as City Attorney for the City of Houston. His primary expertise is in litigation involving
governmental entities and administrative practice before state and local agencies. His clients include cities, counties, and
special-purpose governmental entities. Jonathan has been recognized in The Best Lawyers of America and as a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly.

Cedric Loeb
Senior Assistant County Attorney, Harris County

Cedric Loeb has extensive government law and trial experience, and is known for his expertise and knowledge of the illegal
placement of signs usually referred to as “bandit signs”. He frequently speaks to Chambers of Commerce and neighborhood / community organizations about this and other quality of life issues.

Margaret Lloyd
Board Member, Scenic America, Inc.

Margaret Lloyd served as Executive and Public Policy Director for Scenic Texas from 2000-2009. She now serves on the board of Scenic America, the national nonprofit dedicated to the visual character of America's communities. Margaret has worked closely with federal, state and local attorneys and regulators on the federal Highway Beautification Act and its implementation in Texas. She is a member of the Texas Department of Transportation’s Outdoor Advertising Rulemaking Advisory Committee.

Mathew McElroy
Deputy Director of Planning, City of El Paso

Mathew McElroy is the Deputy Director for Development Services for the City of El Paso, overseeing the Planning Division, which is involved in the complex political and administrative process of revising the city’s sign ordinance.

Christopher L. Nichols
Attorney, Randle Law Office Ltd., LLP

Chris Nichols, a member of the Texas City Attorneys Association, is a leading counsel to Texas cities regarding the constant changes in municipal, regulatory and administrative law. He has been involved in representing the City of Mont Belvieu in highly contentious sign litigation. Chris balances his transactional practice with litigation matters in state and federal court.

Larry Schenk
Senior Assistant City Attorney, City of Houston

Larry Schenk leads the representation of the City of Houston in sign regulatory matters. In this role, he assisted the City in a settlement with Clear Channel that resulted in the removal of 831 billboards. He has also been active in extended litigation against RTM Media to remove more than 60 illegal billboards in Houston's ETJ which has resulted in a favorable opinion by the Fifth Circuit upholding the City's Sign Code. He was the primary author of the City’s original sign ordinance in 1980.

Carroll Shaddock
Executive Director, Scenic Texas

Carroll Shaddock has practiced corporate law for 41 years with Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP, where he is Of Counsel. Since 2009, he has also simultaneously served as the Executive Director of Scenic Texas, an affiliate of Scenic America, Inc., of which Carroll is past chairman. He is the Founding Chairman of Scenic Texas and is recognized nationally as a leading sign law expert.

Carroll is a member of the Texas Department of Transportation’s Outdoor Advertising Rulemaking Advisory Committee.

Katherine J. Tipton
Division Manager, City of Houston Sign Administration

Katye Tipton is responsible for the administration and enforcement of all signage regulations for the City of Houston. Since assuming her current position in April 2009, Katye has managed the implementation of significant changes to the Houston Sign Code and is guiding the City’s first comprehensive inventory of all off-premises signage. She is a member of the Texas Department of Transportation’s Outdoor Advertising Rulemaking Advisory Committee.

PROGRAM

8:00-8:30
Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:35 - 8:45
Welcome

Carroll Shaddock, Executive Director, Scenic Texas

8:45-9:45
Report from the National Sign Law Battleground: Beating the Sign Code Shakedown

Find out who is planning to sue your local government, and how to put your city or county in the best position possible to defend those suits.

Bill Brinton, Shareholder, Rogers Towers, P.A.

9:45-10:00
Break

10:00-10:45
Billboard Evaluation after the Texas Supreme Court's Ruling in the Central Expressway Case

How much should government be paying for a billboard? Hear what the Texas Supreme Court has said, from the attorney who successfully represented the State of Texas in a landmark case that has strong implications for future condemnations and property tax evaluations.

Susan D. Bonnen, Assistant Attorney General, Transportation Division, Texas Office of the Attorney General

10:45 - 12 noon
The Federal Highway Beautification Act: Lady Bird's Dream

Discover whether Lady Bird Johnson's dream - to preserve the scenic character of America along the interstate roadways - has become a reality. Find out how the
HBA is being implemented in Texas. You will learn about the Texas Rural Road Act that was passed by the Texas legislature to combat billboard blight along Texas' rural roads.

Margaret Lloyd, Board Member, Scenic America, Inc.
Gus Cannon, Director of Resource Management, Right of Way Division, TxDOT

12:15-1:30

2010 Scenic City Awards Luncheon

1:45-2:30
Illegal Signs in Our Public Rights-of-Way: How to Successfully Attack Bandit Sign Pollution

Across our beautiful state, illegal signs posted on public property create roadside litter, public safety issues and enormous clean-up costs to local governmental entities. Using new statutory authority, counties and cities can partner to battle this blight - and save taxpayer money!

Cedric Loeb, Senior Assistant County Attorney, Harris County
Katherine J. Tipton, Division Manager, City of Houston Sign Administration

2:30 - 3:30
What a Waste of Taxpayer Money: Fascinating and Frightening Litigation War Stories

Part Two of the Sign Code Shakedown: Learn from officials who have defended local government sign regulations about how to create a defensible Sign Code.

El Paso: Mathew McElroy, Deputy Director for Development Services
Houston: Larry Schenk, Senior Assistant City Attorney
Mont Belvieu: Chris L. Nichols, Assistant City Attorney

3:30 - 3:45
Break - Cupcakes!

3:45 - 4:30
Your Public Policy Checklist

Good public policy shapes the sign regulations and scenic standards of local government. Use the information gained in this forum to guide policy.
Alan Bojorquez, Partner, Bojorquez Law Firm
Jonathan Day, Of Counsel, Andrews Kurth LLP
Representative, 2010 Certified Scenic City

4:30
Adjourn

All sessions are MCLE certified by the Texas Bar Association.

 

Developed in partnership with: