Liberty County commissioners heard and accepted a proposal Tuesday night to assess value and related revenue opportunities of cell tower locations in unincorporated parts of the county, as well as measures to ensure the county is receiving its cable franchise fee.
Representatives of the firm CH2M HILL presented details of the project, which proposes a cell tower license permit and fee structure, including developing and recommending a local ordinance, recommending permit amounts and devleoping an application packet and processing procedure. The firm thinks the audits will provide the county with increased revenue, according to the proposal.
Once initial applications were received, CH2M HILL would conduct an audit of all cell towers and antennas to include a field inspection, recommending property assessment values and creating and maintaining a database of field inventory and assessment values until the audit is complete.
The firm also proposes conducting an audit of the local cable TV franchisee to ensure the county’s 5 percent franchise fee is being properly collected and remitted to the county. The audit would cover the current year as well as the previous three years, 2007-09. The audit will be conducted with no up-front cost, but for its services C2HM HILL would receive a percentage of the county’s audit findings as a one-time contingency fee. Long-term revenue findings will belong exclusively to the county.
In other meeting news, commissioners approved amending the pet registration ordinance, which earlier this year raised the fees for registration. The fees will remain at $6 per altered pet and $10 per unaltered pet. Additionally, the county plans to implement a registration records database that will help to notify pet owners when their registration expires.
Representatives of the firm CH2M HILL presented details of the project, which proposes a cell tower license permit and fee structure, including developing and recommending a local ordinance, recommending permit amounts and devleoping an application packet and processing procedure. The firm thinks the audits will provide the county with increased revenue, according to the proposal.
Once initial applications were received, CH2M HILL would conduct an audit of all cell towers and antennas to include a field inspection, recommending property assessment values and creating and maintaining a database of field inventory and assessment values until the audit is complete.
The firm also proposes conducting an audit of the local cable TV franchisee to ensure the county’s 5 percent franchise fee is being properly collected and remitted to the county. The audit would cover the current year as well as the previous three years, 2007-09. The audit will be conducted with no up-front cost, but for its services C2HM HILL would receive a percentage of the county’s audit findings as a one-time contingency fee. Long-term revenue findings will belong exclusively to the county.
In other meeting news, commissioners approved amending the pet registration ordinance, which earlier this year raised the fees for registration. The fees will remain at $6 per altered pet and $10 per unaltered pet. Additionally, the county plans to implement a registration records database that will help to notify pet owners when their registration expires.