Deadline Looms for City of Mequon Regarding Sign Ordinance Controversy

The City of Mequon in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin has until Monday, August 9, 2021 at 10 a.m. to stop enforcing its current sign ordinance that allows only signs that the city approves, based solely on the content of the sign.

The warning was delivered on Friday, August 6, in a letter to the mayor and city administration from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL).

Daniel Lennington, deputy counsel with WILL, wrote to the city on behalf of Mequon resident Amber Schroeder, saying he was retained “to resolve a dispute with the City of Mequon over a political sign bearing the message: ‘RecallMTSD.com.’” MTSD stands for Mequon-Thiensville School District.

"The City’s sign ordinance, and its attempts to enforce that ordinance, violate our client’s First Amendment rights,” Lennington wrote. “We are asking you to cease and desist this unconstitutional enforcement.”

The letter to the city said Mequon police have told Schroeder on four occasions to take the signs down.

The letter warns the city to stop enforcing the ordinance and to state in writing that Schroeder will be allowed to display her sign “without fear of prosecution.”

If the city does not comply, Lennington promised a lawsuit seeking a court order striking down the use of the ordinance and damages – including attorney fees.

WILL also filed a public records request for all city personnel from May 1, 2021 onward regarding the recall, signs or banners, and enforcement of the Mequon sign ordinance.

Check back with the Cedarburg Area Insider to learn the results of any decision made by the City of Mequon to comply or not comply.

Subscribe to our free daily email newsletter today and stay connected on what goes on in Cedarburg, Grafton, Mequon and Thiensville.