At last night’s Athens City Council committee meetings, Athens City Planner Paul Logue outlined an ordinance on the regulation of cell phone tower construction, and Councilman Jeff Risner introduced a regulation that would limit corporations’ ability to influence elections.
Logue gave a brief presentation to the councilmembers about how the Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Ordinance would affect the city of Athens.
“As cellular devices’ capabilities are growing rapidly, our expectations of them are, as well,” Logue said. “It’s estimated that we’ll need 20,000 more towers per year into the near future, and we have a need for wireless coverage. But we don’t need a new tower in every instance.”
Logue added that the ordinance will help keep the rise of cellular communication as aesthetically pleasing and non-intrusive as possible. There will be a requirement that any new towers undergo a review process to make sure they are not unnecessarily tall.
“We will have studies to make sure that a tower smaller than what a company is asking for is insufficient,” Logue said. “This will keep up until they are as low as possible. That way, the height equals the need.”
Along with the height restrictions, there will be an emphasis on maintaining an attractive appearance.
“We advocate using stealth tactics to keep these aesthetically pleasing,” Logue said. “We’ve seen this technology implemented in trees, on water towers, and inside rocks. An application for a new tower will cost $5,000, and an application for one that uses stealth will cost $2,500. This will encourage companies to keep their towers hidden.”
Councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, said she wanted to ensure that companies disregarding the ordinance could have their profits taken away by fines. Logue said he wanted not following the ordinance to be considered a first-degree misdemeanor, which would equal a $1,000 fine for each day the regulation is skirted.
Councilman Risner, D-2ndWard, proposed the first piece of legislation of his council career that would limit the first amendment rights of corporations in Athens.
Risner said he believed corporations’ current ability to give unlimited funds to an election campaign gives them too much influence.
“Everyone who is here on this council has been through an election and is here because of it,” Risner said. “I believe that freedom is being seriously threatened. I was asked to file a report on how much money I spent on my campaign. I spent 79 bucks. I had no corporate donors at all. Corporations are not human beings, people are human beings.”
Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl agreed with Risner on this manner.
“You can’t jail corporations, they can dissolve and appear. They’re more ghosts than people,” Wiehl said. “They are voting with dollars rather than with votes.”
This regulation will be up for voting at next week’s council meeting.
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