Billboard Lawsuit Lost by Fulton Affects Milton

A nine-year lawsuit over billboards has caught Milton in its legal wrangling and now City Council is working with its City Attorney to figure out how to meet the terms of a court order.

Fulton County lost another round in court in a lawsuit brought after the county denied permits for 32 billboards next to busy thoroughfares. At the time Milton wasn't even a notion – it became a city in 2006. But now it has its own sign ordinance and the billboard companies want signs in the young city also.

Milton City Attorney Ken Jarrard doesn't normally explain why the City Council was going into executive session, but he took the opportunity at the Sept. 6 meeting.

Jarrad explained that the judge struck down the Fulton County ordinance. The county has to pay the billboard companies $4 million for the delay, according to a report by the AJC.

"But it's more than that. In adidtion to that, we are basically having to figure out compliance with the court's order," Jarrard said.

The city will try to work out a settlement with the billboard companies on where the signs can be placed and how many will be within Milton city limits.

The City Attorney said if Milton said "no" to the sign companies, "It wouldn't take five minutes before we were summoned to come down for a contempt citation."

Any plan that is worked out will have to be brought to an open session and be put to a vote, Jarrard said.

Neighboring Alpharetta already came to an agreement with the sign companies over the small portion of the city that was annexed and still falls under this complaint.

Sandy Springs also has been working on the issue.

 See Also:

– 2011

– September 2012