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Council rejects idea of locating cellular tower on city cemetery after staff report on low lease offers
Summary
City staff told council a vendor has proposed a multi-decade cell-tower lease on cemetery property for low annual payments; council members objected to siting a tower on sacred ground and directed staff to explore other locations.
A private company recently approached city staff to propose leasing space on city cemetery property for a cellular tower; the company’s early offers prompted council pushback and a decision not to pursue placement in the cemetery.
Staff told the council they had been contacted about siting a cell site on cemetery land near Sleeping Lady and that initial offers were low. "Their first proposal I saw, they were offering us a thousand dollars a year for a 30 year term," the staff report said. A later negotiation figure mentioned $6,000 per year; staff compared these offers to typical municipal water‑tower leases in other states where carrier payments often start much higher.
Council members reacted strongly against placing a tower on cemetery grounds. One councilor said, "Cell tower to graveyard is a horrible headline," and members emphasized that cemetery property is a sensitive, sacred site. Several councilors suggested exploring alternative sites and pushed back on the financial terms the vendor had proposed.
Staff took the council’s reaction as direction to avoid further pursuit of the cemetery site and to look for other locations and better lease terms before bringing a proposal back. No formal agreement was entered and no lease was authorized.
Next steps: staff will not pursue a cemetery lease under the currently proposed terms and will evaluate other potential locations and market terms for a city‑hosted or city‑facilitated cell site if warranted by public‑service needs and fair market compensation.
