Opinion ID: 886636
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: issues

Text: ¶ 63 Did the District Court err when it concluded that the City and County ordinances do not violate the procedural due process clause? ¶ 64 Montana Media contends that the City and County ordinances violate procedural due process of law because they do not guarantee a hearing before deprivation of property. ¶ 65 Article II, Section 17 of the Montana Constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Due process requires both notice of a proposed action and the opportunity to be heard. Pickens v. Shelton-Thompson, 2000 MT 131, ¶ 13, 300 Mont. 16, ¶ 13, 3 P.3d 603, ¶ 13. Montana Media is required to demonstrate that it: (1) has a property interest; and (2) the procedures in place provide an inadequate protection of that property interest. ¶ 66 There is no dispute that Montana Media has a property interest in its billboards. The issue before this Court is whether the ordinances include procedural protections for an aggrieved party to be heard before property is taken. Procedural Due Process requires that some form of hearing be available that provides a meaningful and timely opportunity to be heard before property is taken. See Logan v. Zimmerman (1982), 455 U.S. 422, 434, 102 S.Ct. 1148, 1156-157, 71 L.Ed.2d 265, and Matter of Connell v. State (1997), 280 Mont. 491, 496, 930 P.2d 88, 91. Procedural Due Process does not prescribe what procedural safeguards must be in place. Logan, 455 U.S. at 434, 102 S.Ct. at 1157. However, the procedure should reflect the nature of the private and governmental interests involved. Only under exigent circumstances, where the government's interest requires immediate action, may a post-deprivation rather than a pre-deprivation hearing satisfy due process. Boddie v. Connecticut (1971), 401 U.S. 371, 379, 91 S.Ct. 780, 786, 28 L.Ed.2d 113. ¶ 67 The Board of Adjustment is responsible for hearing appeals that allege an error related to the enforcement of either the City or County ordinance. The Board is bound by known procedures and there is a right to appeal the board's determination to a court of record. Once an appeal is filed, enforcement is stayed unless a stay would cause eminent peril to person or property. In this case, all enforcement against Montana Media has been stayed. Pursuant to the ordinance, only under exceptional circumstances, which do not apply in this case, could the City or County deprive someone of their property without a hearing. We conclude that the procedural safeguards provided for in the City and County ordinances provide sufficient procedural safeguards and ensure that a pre-deprivation hearing is available to aggrieved parties.