Updated: Council voted final approval of the new regulations without discussion at their June 13 meeting.

Election campaigns signs will be smaller, and they won鈥檛 be allowed on public property, under an amended 91原创 City bylaw given preliminary approval by council.

It will end the practice of permitting campaign signs under the power lines on 200th Street, and on the 91原创 Bypass in the area of the Salvation Army Gateway of Hope.

As well, the maximum allowed sign size will be halved, from four feet by eight feet, to four feet by four feet.

Signs on private property, with consent of the property owner, will continue to be permitted.

A report by City Corporate Officer Kelly Kenney proposed the changes in response to council concerns about the 鈥渢endency for political signs to be defaced and/or damaged in the two permitted public property locations, [and the] negative environmental impact of plastic political signs.鈥�

Council gave first three readings to the revised bylaw at their Monday, May 30 meeting, with final approval expected at the Monday, June 13 session.

Mayor Val van den Broek and Councillor Gayle Martin opposed the changes, with the mayor warning it could discourage newcomer candidates from being able to showcase themselves.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e impeding new candidates from coming forward,鈥� van den Broek remarked.

Instead of reducing the size of plastic signs, van den Broek suggested the City could require the use of 鈥渂iodegradable鈥� materials.

Martin doubted the changes will reduce the amount of plastic waste created by campaign signs.

鈥淧ersonally, if we had a sign bylaw that said no signs at all, I鈥檇 be happy,鈥� Martin remarked.

鈥淭hat would certainly solve the problem of the environment, it would solve the problem of any vandalism,鈥� Martin added.

Coun. Rosemary Wallace said she would favour even smaller sign size limits.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: 91原创 campaign signs destroyed in pre-election day blitz

Coun. Nathan Pachal said putting up election signs in the two public spaces only generates newspaper stories about vandalism.

鈥淚 actually didn鈥檛 put signs near the Gateway of Hope [in the last election] because they just get vandalized the moment they are up, and they end up in the creek, there,鈥� Pachal observed, adding the same applied to the 200th Street location.

Coun. Rudy Storteboom said destruction of election signs 鈥渉appens every time鈥� there is an election, calling it 鈥渁gainst democracy.鈥�

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At the same meeting, council gave final approval to other election-related rule changes, including an increase in the minimum number of required nominators for candidates and allowing voters to register and cast ballots by mail.

As revised, the City鈥檚 鈥淓lection and Assent Voting Procedure鈥� bylaw increases the number of nominators a candidate must have to run for either councillor or mayor from two to 10, 鈥渢o ensure there is meaningful support from qualified electors [and] provide greater assurance that a candidate is committed to holding office.

The number of nominators required to run for school trustee will remain at two.