Beware of City Tree Ordinances

Georgetown has a tree ordinance that restricts the rights of tree/property owners! This is a violation of the US Constitution if the tree/property owners are not compensated. Here is a description of how a township abuses the rights of property owners.Gilmer Mirror

Unfortunately, the township’s ordinance is not an isolated problem. It is part of a growing trend. Cities from Michigan to Texas and everywhere in between have adopted similar laws. While these laws may have good intentions (everyone loves trees), the best intentions do not excuse abusing private property owners and trampling constitutional rights. As the Supreme Court has repeatedly reminded us, “a strong public desire to improve the public condition is not enough to warrant achieving the desire by a shorter cut than the constitutional way of paying for the change.”

If cities want more trees, they can plant them on public land, or they can pay others to plant them on private land. But what they cannot do is take private property for what they deem to be a public benefit without paying for it. The Constitution simply does not abide that sort of theft. It is time that the courts step in to stop this growing problem.