Jackson Progress-Argus

Photo by Heather Middleton

By Michael Davis

mdavis@myjpa.com

In one of its first actions of the new year, and with a new member on the panel, the Butts County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement that will allow an Atlanta-based cell tower developer to shop county land to potential tenants.

The contract had been under discussion since November, when Municipal Communications, LLC pitched the idea to board members. The agreement, approved Thursday, allows Municipal Communications to approach cell phone companies on behalf of the county, in an effort to obtain commitments that companies would put equipment on towers that Municipal Communications would build on county property.

Butts County officials noted that should Municipal Communications find a tenant to locate on a proposed tower site, the company would have to come back to the board for final approval of the site.

"We would have, actually, a revenue stream using existing property," County Administrator Alan E. White said. "They would take care of the tower [and] erecting the tower and that sort of thing."

Brantley Basinger, vice president of sales and operations for Municipal Communications, said the company's agreement with the county calls for a payment of $65,000 per tower, once the company obtains a building permit from the county for each tower, and a payment of $35,000 each on the first anniversary that each tower is up.

The agreement also calls for a lease fee of $500 per month, plus a fee of $5,000 per tower tenant, after the initial tenant, on each tower, Brantley said.

Commissioners, on Thursday, expressed concern that the figures were not in the contract that was presented to them, and Basinger assured the board they would be in the final contract presented for them to sign.

In a motion to approve the agreement, commissioners asked the county attorney and county administrator to make sure the dollar amounts were specified in the final document. The motion passed unanimously.

On Friday morning, the Butts County Development Authority approved a similar agreement with Municipal Communications for properties owned by the authority.

The cell tower agreement was one of the first weighty decisions taken up by the new board in the new year. The meeting was held Thursday, Jan. 13, after being rescheduled from Jan. 10 after a snow and ice storm hit the area.

Prior to Thursday's meeting, incoming District 3 Commissioner Mike Patterson was sworn in, as was returning District 4 Commissioner J. Keith Douglas, who was reelected in November after running unopposed.

In other action Thursday, the Board of Commissioners elected District 5 Commissioner Roger McDaniel as chairman, and District 1 Commissioner G.S. "Gator" Hodges as vice chairman.

The board also reappointed County Clerk Jessica E. Reynolds and County Attorney Michael A. O'Quinn. Patterson abstained from both votes without explanation.