Timnath mayor proposes tabling new bird logo indefinitely

The Timnath Town Council took up a motion to table indefinitely a resolution adopting a new official town logo built around a bird, with instruction to staff to come back with alternatives that keep the proposed font and color scheme but change the central icon.

The resolution would have adopted Exhibit A as the town's primary official logo and authorized the Town Manager or designee to implement it and develop standards, guidelines and materials for consistent use. It describes the logo as a primary visual symbol intended to reflect Timnath's character and provide an adaptable image for the town's future. Staff recommended approval.

Mayor Robert Axmacher said he had received a lot of community feedback and heard a lot of critique about the bird. "I hear a lot of critique about the bird. Why is it a bird?" he said. He also questioned why, if the design used a bird, it was not a specific bird associated with Timnath.

A council member said the bird seemed symbolic rather than like wildlife found around Timnath and questioned what the image inside the circle represented. Axmacher said he considered the existing brand's font strong and saw merit in the new color palette.

He was not ready to adopt the logo, he said, because he viewed the bird as controversial.

Council Member Jeramie Holt, who served on the branding cohort, said he expected people to criticize the bird choice. He said he viewed the design as representing Timnath's growth and openness, with the grass detail recalling its farming roots.

Holt said he favored the tree concept and ranked the bird second, and he praised the process. "I think you're gonna hear that's not the right bird 200 times," he said.

Council Member Bill Jenkins said the text and color palette worked for him. He suggested exploring alternatives for the central icon while retaining the rest of the design.

Staff said the design team was seeking a single icon that represented Timnath and would work at small sizes. Staff said they were avoiding mountains as the primary image because nearby municipalities used them. A staff member also said some prominent local features, including the water tower and reservoir, were not owned by the town, which made distinctive local landmarks harder to use.

Cost shaped the discussion. Mayor Pro-Tem Luke Wagner estimated the overall rebrand might cost roughly $150K and said additional items could be found. Staff said their cost estimates were incomplete and represented their best estimate, with some items potentially overlooked.

Wagner said Parks and Recreation had one of his favorite town logos and he hoped it could be retained. He said he lacked enough enthusiasm for the proposed logo to support spending about $150K on it. "If we're gonna spend this kind of money, we, we should be in love with something like that," he said.

Axmacher said the town had been holding off on Old Town signage and wanted a prominent mark for the recreation center. That created pressure to decide, he said, while still getting the choice right.

Staff said the town website redesign was expected to begin soon but was being held up so the town would not have to redesign it twice. The town was already paying for the revamp, staff said.

The branding cohort included residents, business owners, developers, local school staff, a council member, other committee members and town staff. Staff said the initial concepts were presented to 69 online participants and 157 people at a movie night on Aug. 7. Five of the seven cohort members who responded preferred the original bird direction, one was neutral and one preferred an alternative.

Holt said Timnath has 12,000 people and that he considers 500 participants a success, while noting that only a couple hundred people had shared input on the logo.

A council member urged a fast rollout, saying a new logo should be implemented as quickly as possible in multiple phases rather than phased out over a long period. Staff said the transition was planned to occur over time rather than replacing all high-cost assets immediately.

Staff estimated phased transition costs of about $16,000 to $50,000 if the existing monument were reused and $41,000 to $115,000 plus if it were substantially rebuilt. The work would be spread over multiple budget years.

Axmacher proposed tabling the resolution indefinitely while staff developed alternatives that retained the font and color scheme and focused on the central icon. The council then voted on a motion to table the resolution to an indefinite time, with instruction to staff to bring back alternatives that retain the font and color scheme and focus on the icon in the circle. No date was set for their return.