Dollar General Violates Law, Asks for Free Pass

Visitors coming to Madison from the east can't miss the new and rather unsightly sign for our latest economic development: the new Dollar General store. The big, boxy, yellow sign with chunky black letters beckons shoppers to Madison's third dollar store. (Three dollar stores? Just how many outlets does one town need for cheap plastic junk from China?)

Turns out the Dollar General sign offends not only this author's senses but the City of Madison's sign ordinances. According to tonight's city commission agenda (page 20), Pride Neon, Inc., of Sioux Falls installed the Dollar General sign so that the streetward end hangs just six inches from the property line. City ordinance requires signs to stand at least five feet back from the property line.

So does Madison's newest corporate resident intend to address this violation of city law? By requesting an after-the-fact variance. Evidently moving the sign to conform to local laws would be too much of a hassle. According Pride Neon's Gale Mudder, writing on behalf of Dollar General (page 22 of tonight's agenda packet), "Locating the sign 5' behind the property line would place the support pipe in the parking lot area which would eliminate (1) parking space and could create a traffic hazard as well as subjecting the support pipe to possible damage by vehicles."

Evidently Dollar General didn't get to be a $9.2-billion company by sacrificing parking spaces or putting up a couple concrete barriers to keep savings-frenzied shoppers from crashing into their signs.

The permit application Pride Neon's Allan Meyer signed back in February (page 26, agenda packet) says explicitly, "All provisions of laws and ordinances governing this type of work will be complied with whether specified herein or not." It looks like Dollar General asked its sign contractor to ignore city ordinance and stick that sign right where the company wanted it. Now that the concrete is poured and the steel all bolted down, they want us to just excuse them for breaking the law.

A city commission interested in making clear that Madison is ruled by laws and not whim would tell Dollar General, "Sorry, but you screwed up, and the laws apply to everyone. Move the sign." But Dollar General has gotten its business neighbors -- Lewis Drug, the Schaefer plaza, and Dennis Miller -- to sign statements saying they have no objection to the sign staying where it is (pp. 23-25, agenda packet). Good Midwesterners all, they apparently don't want to raise a fuss.

Perhaps the city commission will surprise us an actually hold our newest corporate resident to its word. Otherwise, I assume the commission will start granting every builder amnesty for sticking signs and garages and other improvements wherever they darn well please.

Note: Let's compare the city's response to multibillion-dollar corporation Dollar General to the response they give local residents Roger and Charlotte Hanson, who are also requesting an after-the-fact variance for a construction boo-boo (pp. 13-15, agenda packet). They apparently poured a concrete slab for a garage a foot too close to the property line. "We were wrong," write the Hansons in their variance request, "and apologize for not checking out the full requirements first." That's more of an acknowledgment of wrongdoing than Dollar General or Pride Neon gives. The city's responses to these requests tonight will tell a lot about where local residents and big corporations stand in the eyes of our elected officials.