Rowan County residents will get their chance Oct. 22 to sound off on a countywide sign law. While skeptics might expect this to be a thorny, contentious issue —witness the headaches Salisbury City Council endured —the Rowan approach may stir less controversy.

It’s a starting point, not a destination.

The county planning board began the process months ago with a fairly stringent proposal and then whittled away at it, trying to figure out what would fly in Rowan, and what was most important.

For example, board members dropped a requirement that people post bond before putting up political signs —a notion designed to ensure that the signs come down in a timely manner. But they left in time limits on such signs. They dropped a space requirement between pylon signs and added a section allowing temporary going-out-of-business and grand-opening signs.

Even so, any kind of sign ordinance signals a drastic change for Rowan. Out in the unincorporated areas of the county, property owners have been free to display whatever kind of sign they wanted, without repercussion.

But development in strategic areas compelled county commissioners to push for a sign law. Billboards have developed into a sensitive subject, with Commissioner Frank Tadlock’s family business pushing existing laws to the limit so it can lease out property for billboards along Interstate 85. The widening of I-85 and expansion of U.S. 70 could open up new commercial opportunities —and spawn countless billboards and other signs. Rowan needs to get a sign law on the books before it finds itself grandfathering in a generation of out-of-control signs.

As it is, Rowan is late to this game. All the counties surrounding us have a sign ordinance or are working on one.

A look at the types of signs Rowan’s proposed law would not allow shows some of the distractions commissioners want to prevent:signs with flashing, blinking, flickering or intermittent lights; strings of light bulbs that glare onto adjacent residences; signs that could be mistaken for traffic signs or otherwise confuse motorists. The proposal also says the lights on a sign shall be shielded to prevent glare from spilling over to adjacent homes. Much of the law is aimed at protecting homes from the sign-and-light intrusion of commercial development.

People with an interest in developing property in Rowan —or in putting up a sign some where —should get a copy of the proposed ordinance from the Rowan County Planning Office at 402 N. Main St. and study it between now and Oct. 22. They should know what’s coming and prepare to speak up if they see areas where the law needs tweaking.

In the meantime, the general public should let commissioners know they appreciate their leadership on this issue. A sign ordinance is a concept whose time has come in Rowan. The Planning Board and commissioners should push on.