Commissioners discuss cell-tower lease, taxability of county property and directing lease revenue to solid waste

Speaker 3, County official, told the meeting there is revenue from a monthly fee and additional service fees associated with a county property lease and asked that the money be used to support the solid waste department to avoid raising solid-waste fees. “And what I'd like you to see done with the money that we receive is to go to the solid waste department which costs are going up,” Speaker 3 said, and asked for permission to follow through with that plan.

Speaker 4, Commenter, responded by summarizing a tax-office position: “If county property is not used for public use, then it is taxable.” Speaker 4 said a party is requesting a “50 by 50, which measures 2,500 square foot,” for what the transcript identifies as a cell tower, and noted the tax office assessed $100,000 because the property would not be for public use. The transcript also records that negotiations over the lease have been going on for about a year.

Why it matters: whether leased county property is treated as public use affects taxability and assessed value, and the allocation of lease revenue could offset rising solid-waste costs for county residents.

Details and limits: the transcript records discussion and a request for permission but does not show a formal motion, a second, or a recorded vote. The amount noted by a speaker—$100,000—was attributed in the transcript to the tax office’s assessment, and the leasing party’s 50-by-50 footprint (2,500 square feet) was described in the meeting. The transcript did not identify the prospective lessee, the text of any lease, or any final decision by the board.

Next steps and constraints: speakers said the matter will be attended to in the future; no final action, lease agreement, or change in solid-waste fee policy was recorded in the available transcript.