Agenda 05-28-2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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0 4 PO YOU WANT TO CONTROL 10 TOWERS and ANTENNAS IN YOUR MUNICIPALITY? The 1996 Telecommunications Act has dramatically changed some significant factors with respect to controlling the siting and placement of cellular and other communications towers and related facilities. Contrary to what you may have read and heard though,the Act has not abrogated the rights or authority of local governments but, in most instances, has specifically protected them and placed responsibility squarely on the shoulders of local government. No one else can protect your community from the uncontrolled proliferation of towers. However, it did create some very specific requirements for handling applications and the permitting of them;but, to accomplish what you may want, it is critical to know and understand: • What the law allows,and doesn't allow; _ • What the basis for your authority is; • How to use that authority in a procedurally correct manner, • What the industry's real,long-term agenda is; • What the effects of this agenda will be on the community; ' • How to deal with that agenda in the context of the current law; How to create choices for the applicant,but limit them to those you create; How many towers and related facilities may be going up in your community in the next 3 to 5 years; • How to prevent the"porcupine effect"or the uncontrolled proliferation of towers and related facilities; / • How to prevent a challenge to a temporary moratorium on towers. For example, do you know that: • There are more than thirty(30)aspects of tower siting that you can... and should ... control if you want to truly protect the community,all of which the applicants will do,but only if they're required to. • You can make it extremely difficult to locate a tower where you don't want one. • There are a number of situations where you're not obligated to grant a permit. • You can limit tower height and not risk a lawsuit. • You can often require the applicant to do 99%of the work that most communities find 1 themselves doing with respect to processing an application. • You can"motivate"service providers to co-locate on the same facility. • You can create a new source of(significant)ever-increasing non-tax revenue. Most communities do not know that they can take control - in a single step, if they do it correctly. Trigon Engineering Consultants, Inc., in association with Monroe Telecom Associates and Comi Telecommunication Services, can assist you. Trigon Engineering Consultants, Inc. Mickey Williams or John Arnall,Jr. P.O. Box 18846 Telephone: (336) 668-0093 TF,IGDiy jwilliams@trigoneng.com Greensboro,NC 27419-8846 jamail@ttigoneng.com