News Blog

Rochester City Council is considering legislation that would allow the city to sell advertising space on city-owned assets. The legislation may be voted on at Council’s October 13 meeting, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 30 Church Street. A public hearing on the proposal will also be held that night, prior to the vote.

Existing law does not allow advertising on city-owned assets that are used “in a predominately governmental capacity,” according to the city’s legislation. That means that City Hall and police and fire buildings would be excluded.

The city would instead focus on selling advertising space at special events, in parking garages, and in “nonpermanent fixtures at city-owned facilities,” the legislation says. The purpose of the program is to raise money for the city.

If the legislation passes, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren would establish a five-member advertising committee to implement the program. The committee would have representatives from the mayor’s office, law department, communications bureau, Department of Environmental Services, and an appointee by the City Council president.

Companion legislation will also be considered by Council on October 13. And that is a proposal to hire locally based Normal Communications to provide marketing and advertising services for the new program. Normal would be paid a negotiated percentage of the advertising revenue it brings in.