NATCHEZ &045; Tom Scarborough, an attendee of this week’s Historic Natchez Conference, was amazed by the relative lack of sign clutter he saw in Natchez.

He was also amazed by headlines showing aldermen have voted to take another look at the city’s sign ordinance to possibly change provisions they see as restrictive to business.

&uot;There are not many places you can go and not be visibly assaulted by advertising,&uot; said Scarborough, who lives near Santa Barbara, Calif.

&uot;What you have here, especially downtown, is pretty special. And as a tourist looking for a unique experience, I would be disappointed to see something like that happen.&uot;

But tourists aren’t the only ones who balk at the idea of changing the city’s sign ordinance.

When Edie Christensen, owner of the River Boat Gift Shop, saw aldermen were going to take another look at the ordinance to make it more &uot;business friendly,&uot; she &uot;couldn’t believe it.&uot;

&uot;I feel the ordinance was planned carefully. A lot of people worked hard on it,&uot; Christensen said. &uot;I don’t understand you how can do something like this.

Christensen said she also doesn’t believe strict sign ordinances stop businesses from locating in town.

&uot;If they’re going to locate here,&uot; she said, &uot;they’ll want to do what it takes to help this community.&uot;

Not only was much work put into formulating the 1994 ordinance, but sign ordinances are a mark of well-managed, growing communities throughout Mississippi, said Mimi Miller, director of preservation and education for the Historic Natchez Foundation.

&uot;Every enlightened community around the state is concerned about aesthetics,&uot; Miller said.

&uot;When businesses and residents make a decision on where they will be located, they depend so much on how a community looks. They look at your ordinances. So (rules regarding signs) are really good for business.&uot;

Miller cited Madison, a fast-growing city north of Jackson, which put a strict sign ordinance in place years before businesses and residents started flooding in.

In addition, sign ordinances put small and large businesses on a more level playing field, some said.

&uot;The reason you have sign ordinances is to make sure small business owners can complete with large businesses. McDonald’s can afford (signage), but the small business next to them may not,&uot; Miller said. &uot;It’s to give everybody a chance.&uot;

&uot;And it may actually enhance a business’ bottom line because they have to spend less on signage to complete,&uot; said Neil Varnell, owner of the Bluff Top Bed and Breakfast. &uot;So basically, a sign ordinance is business friendly.&uot;

For his part, Scarborough said a large, garish sign makes him think twice about patronizing a business.

&uot;I have a gut-level response when I see a business put a screaming sign,&uot; she said. &uot;I almost decide not to go there.&uot;

And both Miller and Varnell said that in an area whose economy is so dependent on tourism, it makes sense to make the community as visually pleasing as possible. That, they said, includes reducing sign clutter.

&uot;My guests talk about how nice it is to be downtown and not have to look through signs to see everything,&uot; Varnell said.

But Varnell said he believes restricting signs along the entrances to town is also important &uot;for creating a mood for entering downtown.&uot;

&uot;Take it from someone who’s from a part of the country that has (a proliferation of) signs,&uot; Scarborough said. &uot;You have something special here. Š But you’re going to alter your ordinance and screw it up.&uot;