12/19/1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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M M M under 50 feet which is a lot different than 70 feet. Commissioner Ginn felt we need to sit back and take a different approach to dealing with the communications towers issue. Commissioner Macht pointed out that location of a tower in itself does not mean anything unless you have the coverage pattern and the RF (Radio Frequency) engineering data to support it. Therefore, it would have to be a cooperative plan between the industry and our staf f or whoever does it. There is much to be said about having a lot of shorter towers. Before we got into the tower issue, he never noticed the proliferation of towers built along U.S. #1 and Old Dixie Highway, most of which are commercial communication towers in the 80-120 ft. range. Commissioner Ginn pointed out that another thing the master plan would do for us is give us substantial written evidence if somebody did file suit against us. We can't just say that we don't want to have a tower here. We need reasons, and a master plan would be the reason. Commissioner Tippin wondered what kind of authority we have on this issue because FACo is concerned about doing anything until they see what the Legislature is going to do. One thing for certain is that it is going to be a boon for lawyers. Attorney Vitunac advised that the federal government has given local government the power to zone and control towers. The only restriction is that whatever we adopt doesn't prohibit or effectively prohibit the ability of these private companies to provide service. That is the sole test. So, it depends on what kind of a plan we come up with and how long it takes us to design a plana If we say that all towers have to be on I-95 and they could not provide service to the beach, then our plan would be defective. We have to allow them the full range of their market plans to provide service. NACo and FACo are taking up this issue which is an issue facing every county in the country. The White Paper issued by Congress said they would allow local governments a time period to discuss the issue and come up with local solutions. It also said that if the solutions were too much of an interference with the telecommunications industry, they would act again. Attorney' Vitunac'advised that there is an implied threat that they can take away our zoning power, and he suggested that we might want to stand with NACo and FACo and defend on a national level. Commissioner Ginn suggested that the municipalities participate, and Commissioner Macht agreed. DECEMBER 19 1996 15 anUK �` ;