The Chattanooga City Council is set to vote tonight on two controversial measures - one an ordinance allowing a special exemptions permit for horses and another allowing a billboard company to enlarge its sign on East Brainerd Road.

Residents of Jenkins Road told the council they live 35 feet away from where horses defecate and that allowing the special exemptions permit would not solve their problems. The current city ordinance states horses are not allowed within the city limits, and City Attorney Mike McMahan said the horses now illegally are housed on the property.

A resolution allowing Fairway Outdoor Billboard Co. to enlarge a sign also will be considered. The city mistakenly gave the company a permit to enlarge its sign last year, and the company began constructing the sign.

City officials, realizing the road is a scenic corridor, issued a stop-work order. The company eventually took the city to Chancery Court and won the case.

But council members questioned Tuesday whether the judge was correct in saying a home-ruled city had to follow state law.

For complete details, see tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press.