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OOUNCL MEETING <br />MAY 12 1997 <br />REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION <br />CTTYOFORONO <br />DATE: May 6,1997 <br />ITEM NO: <br />Department Approval: <br />Name Ron Moorse <br />Title City Administrator <br />Administrator Reviewed:Agenda Section: <br />City Administrator's <br />Report <br />Item Description: <br />Telecommunications Tower and Antenna Regulations - Update <br />The Council has directed that the city's telecommunications ordinance require all personal <br />communications service (PCS) antennas to be located on municipal structures (water towers). The <br />city ’s water towers are located such that antennas located on the water towers can provide adequate <br />geographic coverage for the city. How'ever, each of the water towers can only accommodate two to <br />three sets of PCS antennas (two to three vendors). At this point there are three PCS vendors in the <br />metro area. It is expected that additional vendors wll enter the market. The city's water towers can <br />not accommodate the antennas of more than three vendors. <br />Also, one set of PCS antennas can accommodate a certain volume of usage. Once the usage reaches <br />this point a second set of antennas is needed to handle the volume. It is unclear when this volume <br />level will be reached. However, when this volume is reached additional antennas (and antenna <br />towers) will be needed. <br />Alternatives for accommodating additional antennas are to allow PCS vendors to construct their own <br />towers, or to have a vendor construct a tower for the city which the city can then lease to other <br />vendors. The city's telecommunications consultant ha.s suggested the city could have a monopole <br />tower constructed adjacent to each of its water towers, at a height greater than the water towers, to <br />accommodate three additional sets of antennas. A number of cities have done this. <br />The advantages of this alternative are as follows; <br />1. The city does not have to change its ordinance with requires all antennas to be <br />located on a city structure. <br />2.Because the towers would be city structures, the city has control over the location of <br />the towers. <br />3. The city would receive lease revenue from the towers. <br />The City Attorney is researching the legal issues regarding the city's responsibility to accommodate <br />more than two or three PCS vendors. <br />I <br />! <br />I