Stephens Co. Considering Ordinance for Telecommunications Towers

Stephens County Commissioners are considering an ordinance to deal with certain types of telecommunications towers.

The ordinance is called a Personal Wireless Service Facility ordinance and county commissioners held a first reading on the proposed ordinance at their meeting on Tuesday.

Stephens County Attorney Brian Ranck said the proposed ordinance would apply to various types of telecommunications towers.

“It governs cell phone towers, over-the-air radio devices, broadband wireless that would be distributed to multiple users,” said Ranck.

For the past several months, Stephens County staff has been working on the proposed ordinance to deal with such facilities in a way that officials say would better match its land use ordinance.

Stephens County Administrator Phyllis Ayers said there have been several applications that have come before the Stephens County Planning Commission to place towers for fixed wireless Internet service throughout the county.

According to Ayers, Stephens County’s current land use ordinance in many cases required a denial of those structures at this time and the county’s current tower ordinance does not address this technology.

Ranck said that the proposed new ordinance would cover a number of different areas.

“It covers the height of the tower, safety requirements, the permit level,” said Ranck. “It covers where they can go.”

County commissioners held a public hearing on the proposed ordinance, but no comments were made.

The county commission is set to hold a second reading on the ordinance and consider enacting it at its meeting on March 10.