By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



Morris council members voted Tuesday night to crack down on where and how signs are placed within the town limits.

The newly-adopted ordinance includes signs for yard sales, politics, businesses, churches and more.

“We’re trying to eliminate a lot of the clutter we’re having,” said Morris Mayor Craig Drummonds. “We’re just trying to control it.”

The council discussed the sign ordinance at the May council meeting before adopting it at the June meeting.

In May, council members cited instances where clusters of signs cluttered certain intersections, making it impossible to even see all of the signs.

The ordinance spells out the distance that signs must be from rights-of-way, the size of signs and other factors.

There are also fees associated with placing certain temporary signs, and monetary fines for violating the ordinance.

“The main thing people need to do is come down to City Hall before they place a sign,” said Drummonds.

Morris’ new sign ordinance is very similar to the one that exists for the city of Gardendale, Drummonds said.

Also Tuesday, council members voted to ban aerial fireworks within Morris town limits during stage two and stage three drought periods.

That applies to the upcoming July 4 holiday.

“We’re trying to avoid any potential problems,” said Drummonds.

The Birmingham Water Works has declared the area to be in a stage three drought.

Regarding the drought, Morris council members also adopted an ordinance Tuesday night that restricts water usage while the area is in drought conditions.

The ordinance is similar to others passed by other towns and cities in north Jefferson County in recent weeks. It refers only to water that is provided by Birmingham Water Works.

The main difference in the Morris ordinance is the times that people are allowed to water established lawns and landscaping: 4-10 a.m., or 7-10 p.m.

Residents at even-numbered addresses are to hand-water on Mondays and Thursdays only. Residents at odd-numbered addresses are to hand-water on Tuesdays and Fridays only.

Also at the meeting, the council:

• adopted an ordinance to put a stop sign at Driftwood Drive and Westland lane.

• heard the first reading of an ordinance to raise the posted speed limit from 15 to 25 miles per hour on Mulvehill Road.

• received quotes for eight new computers: Two for Town Hall, five for the police department and one for the fire department.

• read a proclamation for Rich Patsios, former pastor of Morris United Methodist Church and Friendship United Methodist Church in Gardendale, thanking him for being strongly involved in the community of Morris.

• heard from Barbie Moore of the Jefferson County Department of Health regarding a program about healthy living to take place in Morris.

• heard from Alan Folse, owner of Hamburger Heaven in Gardendale, thanking the citizens of Morris for their business at his store.