Town & Country aldermen will decide on Feb. 27 whether to approve a variance to allow a new LED sign for Trinity Lutheran Church.

Some residents have said they fear the LED sign may set a precedent for churches in the city.

Trinity, located at 14088 Clayton Road, has already replaced its old sign, which had black letters on a white background and was lit by floodlights, with the new sign on its front lawn. The new sign has letters on a black background and is internally illuminated.

Current city sign codes, which were devised before the creation of this technology, don't permit LED signs. However, city officials said the city might change its codes to allow for LED signs.

The LED are electronic and allow messages to be changed remotely from a controller inside a building. Messages on an LED sign can scroll, but the church won't be using that feature, officials said.

The new sign's size, colors and location is acceptable under city codes.

Church officials said their building is next to only one home and they need to publicize events like flu shots, blood drives and garage sales with a new sign that has more distinct and clear lettering.

Resident Mariett Palmer told the board she feels the new sign looks like a commercial sign and is compatible only with the bright commercial signs to the west at Highway 141 and Clayton Road.

"If we approve this, I think all the churches will want these signs, which could change the character of the city," Alderman Phil Behnen said.

Resident Roger Fagerberg, who lives on Clayton Road, said he's pastor of another church from a different denomination.

"This kind of sign is the coming thing, and it gives you the flexibility to present programs efficiently by being able to push a button inside the church to change the sign's message," he said.