While other Valley cities have aimed to restrict the spread of electronic billboards over concerns about aesthetics and safety, El Mirage leaders are embracing the bright, flashing displays.

City Manager Spencer Isom has negotiated a 30-year contract with Optical Outdoor Signs to install two digital billboards on city property along Grand Avenue.

It’s a way for cash-strapped El Mirage to improve its bottom line.

The agreement states El Mirage will receive 20 percent of the net advertising revenue from the billboards each year, projected to be about $ 24,000.

Isom said electronic billboards allow the city to create a “different aesthetic” to redevelop the frontage road along Grand in El Mirage. He would not elaborate, but the area is composed largely of run-down storefronts and industrial businesses.

El Mirage City Council members unanimously approved the billboard locations and contracts in July. After a delay in construction, the city changed advertising companies this spring, transferring the contract to Optical.

Construction of the signs is scheduled to begin in mid- to late June. One will be erected at Grand and Primrose Street, next to City Hall, and the other will be near Grand and Acoma Drive. Each sign will be digital on one side and static on the other, though both will be converted to fully electronic.

Digital debate

As has been a familiar debate in Arizona, the prospect of having flashing billboards along a major roadway has riled some residents who fear it will distract drivers or brighten night skies.

Cheryl LoGalbo, a neighborhood leader in El Mirage, spoke out against the signs at a council hearing last summer, saying the city should find another way to make money. She said digital billboards are better suited for hectic Times Square in New York City than the state’s scenic landscapes.

“I think it will make the neighborhood look tacky and disreputable,” LoGalbo told The Republic. “It’s ugly. It’s glowing litter on a stick.”

City officials are being tight-lipped about the decision to lease city land for digital billboards. Mayor Lana Mook and nearly every City Council member either did not respond to a request for an interview or would not comment.

The billboard company is taking steps to mitigate the impact of light on neighborhoods. Each sign will be equipped with a shield to reduce “light pollution” in residential areas and will automatically dim as it gets darker.

Other El Mirage residents said they welcome the colorful displays. Mary Koestner, a member of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, said she supported the proposal because she prefers the clean, neat pictures on digital signs.

Councilman Jim McPhetres, the only council member to speak to The Republic about the issue, said that while he voted for the billboards, he has apprehensions. He said rotating advertisements could be a dangerous distraction for drivers.

“People aren’t paying attention to the road, they’re paying attention to the billboard,” he said. “Whatever our revenue is, it’s not worth an accident.”

McPhetres said the city should revisit its contract with Optical Outdoor Signs to ensure the billboards are not flashing or rotating excessively.

Isom said comments about the billboards have been “generally positive.” He said the company was required to go through a permitting process and comply with state and local laws.

Money the city receives from the billboards will go into the general fund, its “checkbook” used to pay for everyday expenses such as police and fire services.

Statewide issue

El Mirage’s support of electronic billboards comes as Gov. Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2543 into law banning such signs along most state and federal highways in Arizona, with the exception of those in metro Phoenix and a few other areas.

HB 2543 was a compromise between the advertising and astronomy industries. Brewer vetoed an earlier proposal that would have allowed billboards statewide. That bill drew protests from astronomers who say they need dark skies to do their work.

Without the new law, electronic billboards would have remained illegal.

The state Court of Appeals last year ruled that the billboards violate provisions of a state highway-beautification law.

The law allows electronic billboards along metro freeway corridors to operate until 11 p.m. and requires them to follow certain standards for brightness and be approved by both the Arizona Department of Transportation and local governments.

Brewer’s signing of HB 2543 this month frees El Mirage and Optical to move forward with digital billboards.

Even though El Mirage has welcomed digital billboards, don’t expect to see a Las Vegas-like proliferation of lighted and flashing signs. The City Council passed a new ordinance in February creating spacing limitations and other restrictions for new billboards.

Republic reporter Mary Jo Pitzl contributed to this article.