Columbia County approved authorization to enter into a new lease with Crown Atlantic Company for a cell tower located on county-owned property adjacent to the Calvert landfill.

County staff said the current lease paid a flat annual fee and that the proposed agreement moves to a revenue-share model under which the county would receive 50% of the rental payments from the tower. Staff described the arrangement as similar to another county lease at a different tower site and characterized the new terms as a “major step forward” in revenue for the county compared with the prior flat-fee arrangement.

Discussion and next steps: supervisors approved the lease authorization at the committee meeting. Staff indicated the county has been able to negotiate more favorable terms by aligning the Calvert lease with the structure used at other county cell sites, and that the new agreement will generate higher ongoing revenue for the county.