Legislation to allow billboard companies to relocate their signs more easily when the land upon which they stand is condemned for a highway project has been vetoed by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.The measure got final legislative approval earlier this month, representing give-and-take by the billboard industry, North Carolina League of Municipalities and others.
But Cooper said Thursday the measure fails to give communities authority to control tree-cutting and other clearing related to these relocations. He says local governments should have more say in billboard matters.
The bill passed the House and Senate by narrow margins, meaning collecting votes for an override may be difficult.
This is Cooper's sixth veto this year. Republicans in charge of the legislature haven't overridden his previous five.
