NEENAH, Wis. (WFRV) – A federal lawsuit was filed against the City of Neenah as some residents are challenging the city’s sign ordinance.

According to the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), a federal lawsuit was filed against the City of Neenah challenging the constitutionality of Neenah’s sign ordinance. WILL says that Neenah sent letters to residents demanding citizens to remove signs that opposed local re-zoning efforts.

The letters reportedly cited the city’s ordinance and said residents would be penalized. WILL sent a letter to Neenah asking the city to stop, but it reportedly did not comply.

The re-zoning issue involves the old Shattuck Middle School property. Back in early December, the Neenah City Council didn’t approve the zoning and master plan changes needed for a developer-proposed plan to turn the property into mixed-use housing.

The lawsuit says Neenah sent ‘Notice of Violation’ letters to residents and have citizens remove signs that oppose the re-zoning by early February. The penalty was a fine of up to %500 for the first offense and up to $1,000 for each following offense.

Local 5 reached out to the City of Neenah for comment but has not heard back. More information on the lawsuit can be viewed here.