Foothills County has voted to pass amendments to the county's land use bylaw.

Changes to the section regarding vehicle signs along highways have been met with a lot of controversy.

The County is even being taken to court over whether or not the ban on vehicle signs is constitutional.

Spot Ads (the company who sells the trailer/billboard advertisements) and former Foothills councillor Gerrit Top, have challenged the County with legal action.

Co-Owner of Spot Ads Josh Laforate, and Top (who has a Pro-Life billboard along Highway 2) say the prohibition on the signs is unconstitutional and goes against freedom of speech.

"Freedom of commercial expression is protected under the Charter 2-B." Laforate says "My clients will lose their voice for a billboard option on for advertising in the County if this prohibition continues."

Spot Ads co-owner Laforate says he would rather work with the County than be denied entirely.

"We would propose discretionary use permits, where the size, the regulations, the font size and the spacing all of those would be taken into consideration, that way it's not a full on advertising party. It would be one that's regulated, that we could get permits for, and our clients would be able to speak with the freedom of speech that they're supposed to be protected by." 

Spot Ads was found to not have a business license to operate in Foothills County, or permits for their trailers.

Division Four Councillor, Suzanne Oehl, says she's continually heard nothing but complaints and concerns on the trailers from residents.

The third reading of bylaw amendments was passed by six councillors who voted in favor of removing the trailer signs.

Division seven's R.D. McHugh, was the only one who voted against it.

Protective Services Coordinator Darlene Roblin says there isn't a huge change to the bylaw which has been around since the 1960's, except in the way they can go about enforcing it.

"There's not a lot of change actually to the rules in the new bylaw as opposed to the old bylaw. These types of highway billboard signs were not permitted previously without permits and the current ones that are located around the county, have no permits issued for them."

Due to the lack of permits, no trailers will be excluded from the new amendments.

"The amendment to the bylaw indicates that you cannot have what fits the definition of vehicle sign within view of a highway." This differs from the provincial regulation, which Roblin says they still follow."The provincial legislation is that it can't be within 300 metres of the right of way of a provincial highway. Our bylaw is consistent with that and clear in stating that they cannot by visible from the highway at all."

Included in the new amendments are changes to the fine amount for violation.

Fines start at $2,500 for failing to comply with the bylaw, on your second infraction they would jump to $5,000 and then to $7,500 for a third.

"The biggest changes for us is the process that we're going to follow" says Roblin "The fine structure was enhanced quite significantly, but our goal is to work with the residents in gaining compliance on the properties, to have these signs removed as soon as possible."

Roblin adds, letters will be sent to residents in an effort to work with landowners before tickets fly.

"Our next step will be another letter that will go out to residents who continue to have these non-compliant signs on their property, requesting that they be removed by a specific date. Hopefully we will have the cooperation of our residents, in removing the signs but if their compliance is not forthcoming, then we would engage in further enforcement action at that time."

The County will be updating their versions of the Bylaw and adding it online, where residents will have access to the new version.