Belton amends lease with AT&T for downtown water tower; staff says rent and escalation terms increased

The Belton City Council approved an amendment to the option and lease agreement with NuCingular Wireless PCS LLC (AT&T) allowing continued wireless equipment on the downtown water tower under revised financial terms.

A presenter told the council the contract had been renegotiated with AT&T and the city attorney’s office reviewed the amendments. "This is an agreement between us and AT and T. At some point they bought Singular Wireless and so it was really a negotiation between us and AT and T to have, their equipment on the water tower that's down here at downtown," the presenter said. He added the city attorney renegotiated the prior agreement.

Staff described the substantive changes as an increase in the monthly rental amount and a change to the escalation schedule. "The major change in this new amendment is the increase in the monthly rental amount, and then the fact that the, there's a 5% increase, or 3% increase every year, instead of every 5 years, as was done under the old," the presenter said during remarks to the council.

Councilmembers asked no detailed legal questions at the meeting and the resolution authorizing execution of the amendment passed on voice vote; the presenter invited the city attorney to answer specific legal questions if council members had any.

The amendment will alter ongoing rental revenue and the schedule of annual adjustments to that rent; staff described the change as an increase in revenue for the city when compared with the prior agreement, but the council did not discuss the specific dollar amounts during the meeting.