City Plans Guidelines for Inflatable Ads

City officials are looking to the skies for help in boosting business revenue.

The city will ask local entrepreneurs for suggestions in crafting guidelines for the use of balloons and other inflatable devices in advertising.

Council members Tuesday night voted to delay the creation of new city regulations regarding the use of balloons and lighter-than-air inflatable figures until after the city’s business summit May 22. At issue is the maximum size of balloons to be allowed, as well as how often they can be used.

Stanton officials are wary of allowing such devices as inflatable Godzillas and high-flying whales often used to draw attention to automobile dealerships in other cities.

“You talk about the ‘Willie the whale’ kind of situation on a long tether high up in the air . . . that would be much larger than what we would propose,” City Manager Terry Matz said, referring to a helium-filled whale that flies over a Westminster auto dealership.

But Mayor Brian Donahue said the proposed 10-foot size limit for balloons is too small.

“If I’m in business and I want to have a grand opening and I’m limited to 10 feet, I might as well not have a balloon at all,” Donahue told council members.

The proposed regulations would limit lighter-than-air balloons to 3.5 cubic feet, a size considerably smaller that Westminster’s whale balloon, city officials say.

Councilman Harry Dotson said the city should be more flexible.

“If there’s a ‘Willie the whale’ up there at a reasonable height and you’ve got a back seat full of kids, they’re going to say, ‘Oh Daddy, look at that.’ So all of a sudden Daddy slows down and sees the business potential,” Dotson said. “We’ve been a bit too restrictive on these things.”

Council members are considering allowing such balloons for grand openings and once a year for existing businesses. The council plans to review the suggested guidelines June 10.