COUPEVILLE: Sandwich boards on the menu at council meeting

Allyson Ballard reports from the Coupeville Town Council meeting of Tue., July 8, 2025 for the Whidbey News-Times. Read the whole story.

The Coupeville Town Council is interested in revisiting the prohibition of portable A-frame signs, or sandwich boards, after hearing from local business people at a meeting Tuesday.

Currently, rules for signs in Coupeville are governed by the Coupeville Town Code and Ebey’s Reserve Design Guidelines.

Only the former explicitly prohibits the use of sandwich boards except as temporary signs, according to Community Planning Director Joshua Engelbrecht. With “written approval of the property owner” whose property upon which it will sit, town code permits sandwich boards to be displayed “outside of a public right-of-way for each principal building on a site for up to three consecutive business days.”

They Said It

Councilmember Jenny Bright was the first to call for the council to “revisit” the matter, reasoning Coupeville is a “community of small businesses” which would benefit greatly from such an “inexpensive, effective” way to draw customers. Councilmember Rick Walti pointed out prohibiting signs like sandwich boards makes it harder for businesses to make a profit with which they can pay necessary taxes to the town.

“We’re just shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said.

Councilmember Pat Powell asked Engelbrecht to “gather a little bit more information” and return with a “professional recommendation” on what in the sign code should specifically be re-examined.

Engelbrecht, just before the discussion’s conclusion, explained that sandwich boards are harder to regulate as they do not require a sign permit and thus are not reviewed by the town. Mayor Molly Hughes suggested a change in sandwich boards’ classification from temporary to permanent signs may be necessary.

On the Ballot in November 2025