Nothing says “gone to seed” more than a billboard advertising it.

We speak of billboards peeling in the sun, a garble of half messages and clashing, washed-out pastels. The message from us to the world: “We’re shabby.”

The Waco City Council took a needed step last week to start carving away at this form of standing blight. It approved a “cap-and-replace” policy under which companies would have to remove 2 square feet of signage somewhere in Waco to put up 1 square foot of new signage. Clearly this area has a glut of billboards. It can only benefit with fewer.

At the same time the council acted on an important measure to create a downtown overlay district that will crack down on blight. One of the big problems for years has been boarded windows. Talk about an advertisement for decay. The overlay ordinance puts restrictions on the practice and sets standards for new construction that can make downtown look better and feel better about itself while making vacant property more marketable.

So far, so good. Now, let’s get busy dealing with some other issues:

* Graffiti: In March the city issued enforcement directives for downtown merchants to clean up graffiti on their buildings. We still see many glaring, demeaning examples around town, like the 25th Street Theater.

* Brush and debris: Nothing says “trashy” like piles that sit at curbs for weeks on end, sometimes so tall they obstruct motorists’ vision. Submitted: A pile on the vacant corner of Homan and 25th Street has enough seniority to be a historic landmark.

* Weeds: Yes, they’re coming as surely as September. The city does work hard to get scofflaws to control the problem. And it’s a serious problem, with trash collecting in the overgrowth and rodents and snakes taking residence.

This year with jobs scarce, wouldn’t it be good to see young people who need summer work mowing weeds, removing brush and otherwise picking up litter in our community? Yes, we complain, but Waco is looking better, all things considered. Let’s not slide back into old, trashy ways.