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Council adopts updated right-of-way license code but exempts non-owner wireless providers
Summary
After public comment from wireless carriers and industry groups, Westland adopted a revised Chapter 10 establishing a license-based right-of-way program and associated fees but adopted the lower-risk option exempting wireless providers that do not own facilities in the right-of-way. Council also adopted associated master fees and charges.
The Westland City Council voted to replace Chapter 10 of the municipal code with ordinance 17-59 (option 2), creating a license-based framework to manage utility use of city right-of-way and updating the city’s master fees and charges. The adopted version exempts wireless providers that do not own facilities in the right-of-way from gross-revenue right-of-way usage fees.
City staff said the existing code lacked the detailed protections and auditing, insurance, and indemnity language that older franchise agreements provided. Management analyst Stephanie Hastings and outside counsel Nancy Werner led a multi-month drafting process involving review of neighboring cities’ ordinances, written public comment and meetings with telecommunication providers. Staff…
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