Ga. ends policy requiring roadside signs to be paid from stimulus money

By Jeremy Redmon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia has scrapped a policy requiring contractors to erect taxpayer-funded signs that say federal stimulus money is paying for their projects.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last month that the state was on pace to spend more than $600,000 in federal stimulus funds on the bright orange and green signs, though state officials said contractors could have cut that amount by reusing the signs.

“At the outset of the program and in the abstract, the signs seemed beneficial,” said David Spear, a Georgia Department of Transportation spokesman.

“But they proved to be too expensive and too much of a distraction from the genuine benefits of the program,” Spear said. “We do listen to the public and came to agree with the consensus that the money could be better spent.”

The federal government doesn’t require the signs but “strongly encourages” them.

States have taken different approaches. Virginia and Florida, for example, have opted not to require them. North Carolina officials, however, are allowing up to 48 signs across the state.

A total of about 220 signs have been up or will still go up based on contracts that call for two signs per project in Georgia, according to GDOT. The state agency says it would cost more than the price of the signs to amend those contracts and take any down.

Critics in Georgia say the signs — at an average cost of $1,200 each plus $100 for installation — are a promotional tool for President Barack Obama and a waste of money.

Proponents, though, say the signs promote transparency by telling the public how their taxpayer dollars are being spent. The signs are labeled with recovery.gov, the Web site where taxpayers can learn how to report waste, fraud and abuse.

AJC Results

On Sept. 25, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the state was spending taxpayer dollars on signs pointing out roadside projects funded with federal stimulus dollars. That AJC article, other news media reports and “negative reaction” from the public and elected officials influenced the Georgia Department of Transportation’s decision to scrap that policy, GDOT said.