Sign, sign, everywhere a sign.

That’s the advice the Cortez City Council received from the Cortez Police Department on the best way to reduce destructive or dangerous behavior on public property.

A draft ordinance would allow the council to pass resolutions for new signage in public parks or thoroughfares. Once a sign prohibiting certain activity is installed then police can cite violators for misdemeanors, creating a deterrent.

Contrary to the popular bumper sticker, the message at Tuesday’s council meeting was that "skateboarding is indeed a crime" when it destroys public property. That is what is happening in front of the new library and remodeled welcome center, where smooth cement, wheel-chair ramps and benches attract "street-boarders" looking for obstacle challenges.

In a world of cement and asphalt, it is no wonder skateboarders and rollerbladers are drawn to that mode of transportation, but when it becomes destructive or dangerous, signs warning against it are a good idea, the council said.

"It’s too bad," said Mayor Joe Keck, "because I’m sure it is just one or two that are doing this, but it makes them all look bad."

Council member Bill Rutledge, who lives near the library, said that groups of skateboarders have been utilizing the library in the evening, "but when the police come, all they can do is send them away."

Other uses for the ordinance could be to provide signs prohbiting dogs at large on the golf course, skateboarding at the tennis courts, panhandling, or encouraging cyclists to yield to pedestrians.

A public hearing on the proposed ordinance will take place on Aug. 14.

In other action, the board:

• Passed an agreement with the Chamber of Commerce on how to implement and manage the retail-enhancement program. The ordinance, passed in March, directs previously deductible sales taxes towards creating a more comprehensive marketing campaign for area businesses.

Before the ordinance, Cortez businesses could deduct 3 1/3 percent of the 3.5 percent city sales tax they owed as compensation for filing the paperwork. Now, the deduction is lower, down to 1 1/3 percent, with the remaining 2 percent going towards the retail-enhancement program.

Keck said the idea is to use the funds for more events, such as Krazy Days, that promote area business and could end up drawing more customer traffic into Cortez.

The extra vendor fees will be administered by the chamber, but overseen by a retail enhancement committee representing various business interests. The council passed the management agreement, which includes a three-year review process, yearly audit, and reporting requirements, unanimously.

• The board learned during the work session that the project to fill Denny Lake has hit a snag. Under state statutes, at least one-sixth of the lake must border city limits before it can become a city lake. But city planner Jeff Reinhart informed the board that the lake comes up 85 feet short.

The solution is to annex county property bordering the lake, said city attorney Jim Hatter. Under standing agreements with former owners, that can be legally done, despite current owner opposition, he said.

According to Hatter, the annexation agreement with the previous owners was made because otherwise, when neighbors whose property surrounds the Tipps’ decided to join the city, it would leave an island of county property within city limits.

The council said it would work with the property owner, who reportedly fears higher taxes due to annexation, to resolve the problem. Meanwhile, a water line to the long-derided mud bog east of town has been put out to bid and will be constructed this fall.

• The council appointed Janice Benton to fill a vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Commission. During an interview with the council, Benton said she wants to improve "pride in the community" by advocating community clean-ups.