Reagan Advertising sues city over billboard fees

Reagan National Advertising on Thursday filed suit against the City of Austin, alleging that the fees it charges for billboard registration are unfair and illegal.

 

Attorney Russ Horton filed the suit in federal court on the billboard company’s behalf.

 

Company president Bill Reagan told In Fact Daily he had tried to work with city staff on various issues but that staff was unresponsive. He said he had “filed this suit as a last resort after many failed attempts to get the city staff to respond to (his) voiced concerns that the amount of fees the City has been charging is out of step with current law.”

 

Reagan filed a notice last November that it intended to sue after the city knocked down two billboards belonging to the company on the property the city bought to build Water Treatment Plant 4. The city said the billboards’ continued presence on the property amounted to trespassing. There have been a number of issues between Reagan and the City of Austin over the years.

 

City Attorney David Smith could not be reached for comment Thursday night.