Sign vandalism costs the county

     During the Oct. 31 Jones County Supervisor meeting, County Engineer Derek Snead addressed a serious and costly problem his department has seen recently throughout the county.

   Snead provided the board with a memo titled: “How many bullet holes does it take to kill a sign?”

   The press release noted that sign vandalism “is a serious problem in Iowa.”

   “It’s nothing new,” Snead said. “We deal with it every day, all year long. And it generally picks up this time of the year.”

   It’s really been the past six months that the county has dealt with people vandalizing road signs throughout Jones County.

   “This last month,” Snead said, “it’s increased even more.”

   In his memo, Snead noted that one in every 10 road signs is vandalized each year.

   “Roadways with low traffic volume account for about 80 percent of the signs vandalized each year. Overall, the cost of sign vandalism each year in the U.S. is over a quarter of a billion dollars. These costs are rarely re-cooped and directly inhibit our ability for worthwhile services such as rocking gravel roads and constructing new projects.”

   “It’s costing us a lot of money we could put toward much better use,” said Snead.

   Snead told the board his department tries to replace the signs that have been vandalized as often as possible when reported.

   “We spend a lot of time and effort on the signs,” he said.

   The recent string of vandalism entailed stealing and shooting-up signs. The cost for replacement is roughly $350 each sign, including labor, equipment, and materials. Snead said overall, the financial impact on the county is in the triple digits for several hundred signs.

   “That’s quite a bit more than we’re used to,” he told the supervisors of those vandalized.

   Secondary Roads generally replaces road signs on an annual basis. Following the August 2020 derecho, $100,000 in sign damage was reported throughout the county.

   “They’re very expensive to keep up on without vandalism,” Snead said.

   This recent wave of vandalism seemed to taken place in the area northeast of Anamosa toward the Scotch Grove area.

   “Central Park Road and 130^th Street, Snead said, historically is the worst for vandalism.

   “Signs don’t last long in that area,” he said. “It’s a hot spot for lots of bullets.”

   Snead has brought the issue to Sheriff Greg Graver’s attention, asking local law enforcement to keep an eye on the situation.

   “We’ll work with Greg (Graver) to hopefully slow things down,” he told the board.

   Secondary Roads purchases their road signs from IPI (Iowa Prison Industries). Snead said the county is not the only entity allowed to purchase signs from IPI.

   “People can purchase signs on their own; we don’t have special privileges,” he said.

   However, if people are stealing road signs, there is a way for the county to tell their signs apart from another.

   Supervisor Jeff Swisher, who’s a former Sheriff’s deputy, said the county can legally obtain a search warrant to search someone’s private property if they’re suspected of stealing signs.

   “Signs are important,” noted Snead’s memo. “They regulate the actions of drivers, warn drivers of hazards, and inform drivers of important locations. Signs are placed and/or designed to fulfill a need, command attention and respect, convey a clear and legible message, and provide drivers with enough time to respond correctly. A sign damaged by vandalism cannot perform any of these functions effectively.

   “Vandalized signs provide a poor impression of the surrounding community.”

   Stealing or vandalizing county property is a crime punishable by law.

   To report sign vandalism or anyone who may be involved in the act, contact the Jones County Sheriff’s Office at 319-462-4371, 500 W. Main St., Anamosa; the Engineer’s Office at 319-462-3785, 19501 Highway 64 E., Anamosa.