Garden Club v. Shackelford

Fletcher, Chief Justice.

The issue in this appeal is whether the statute and regulations providing for the removal of public property to permit the viewing of outdoor advertising signs on private property violate the gratuities clause of the Georgia Constitution.1 We affirm the trial court’s holding that OCGA § 32-6-75.3 is constitutional because the statute provides a substantial benefit to the state through the information given to the traveling public on billboards and through the payment of the value of the trees removed. Because DOT failed to comply with the statute’s procedural…