City OKs cellular tower lease
Hillsboro is one step closer to getting clear, strong cellular phone service.
At its regular biweekly meeting Tuesday night, the Hillsboro City Council approved a lease agreement with Alltel that would let the cell phone company build a tower on the former AMPI property.
Bud Harlow, representative from Alltel, was at Tuesday's meeting to explain the deal.
The tower will be situated in a square of land measuring 40 feet by 40 feet. The site is north of the buildings, southeast of the pond, and southwest of the sewer lagoons.
The tower, which will be 150 feet, has been approved by the FAA in order to work with local flight patterns, Harlow said.
Alltel will pay the city $350 per month rent, according to the agreement, with the lease renewing every five years. The contract assumes five renewals, so the real length of the lease is 25 years. Every time the five-year lease is renewed, the rent will increase 10 percent.
Alltel will pay all expenses for upkeep of the tower, including any city bills such as phone and electricity, Harlow said. They'll also allow the county to install 911 equipment on the tower, as was requested by Shelly Becker, county communications director.
Now that the lease is done, Alltel will start inspecting the land and doing soil samples, he said. Construction should start this fall.
In other council business:
— Jerry Rayl, financial consultant from Gold Capital Management, attended the meeting to fill in council members on the total debt that Hillsboro has.
According to Kansas statute, the total debt a city can have must not exceed 30 percent of its assessed value. In August of 2002, Hillsboro's total assessed value was approximately $14.5 million. Thirty percent of that is approximately $4.35 million.
But Kansas statute also allows certain city projects to be exempt from that 30 percent, Rayl said. That includes improvements to water, sewer, or other city utility systems.
Hillsboro's total amount of debt is approximately $5.3 million, he said. But take away the debt for utility projects, and its debt is just over $2 million, Rayl said.
The city's debt percentage is about 15 percent — well below the 30 percent state guideline.
"The ratios are well within reasonable limits for a community of your size," Rayl said.
These debt amounts include the $400,000 of the Main Street project that the city has decided to finance through bonds. The bond sale has been re-scheduled, and bids will now be accepted until Tuesday, May 20.
— The city agreed to give $500 from the diversion fund to the Hillsboro Police Department K-9 unit. Officer Jessey Hiebert is requesting the funds to help buy a larger dog carrier for Hillsboro's Belgian Malenois, Rico.
Right now, the police department has $500 in its K-9 fund, said city clerk Jan Meisinger. The additional money will replenish that fund.
— The city will take over electrical service for a northern section of town.
The area includes the city shops and the "Welcome to Hillsboro" sign. The city is buying the zone from Westar for $35,000. Now the city will provide electricity to any future developments in that area, said City Administrator Steve Garrett.
— The city agreed to give $1,100 to the Hillsboro ambulance crew to buy a "stair chair," which is a type of gurney that's more easily maneuverable around stairs and tight spaces.
— In next week's meeting, council members will meet with a representative from Tri County Telephone of Council Grove. The company is interested in placing equipment for broadband Internet on the city water tower.
— The council held two executive sessions, one for legal matters and one for personnel. No action was take after either of the meetings, according to Meisinger.
