Local broadcaster asks Morris council to help preserve station by resolving land-use limits

Jake Weber, vice president of Inksdale Media, told the Morris City Council that the company’s Morris studio building needs extensive renovation and that a municipal conservancy land-use restriction is preventing a sale or redevelopment that would preserve local service. “My name is Jake Weber, vice president of Inksdale Media,” Weber said, and described a multi-generation family business that has broadcast from Morris since 1999.

Weber said the company invested more than $150,000 this year in transmitters and other equipment but that the building itself would require a full teardown and costly rebuild to remain usable while continuing on-air operations. He said a prospective buyer discovered a municipal conservancy designation on the parcel that blocks most new development, leaving the station “grandfathered in” but severely limiting resale options.

Weber gave specific valuation figures to illustrate the problem: he said the county tax valuation listed the property at $256,000 for 2024 (up from $233,000 in 2023) while broker opinions under the current land-use restriction put market value far lower, “as high as $25,000,” making an ordinary sale impractical. He asked the city to consider purchasing the land at the county valuation and entering a long-term agreement that would keep the transmitter and tower on site, enabling the company to move into a modern studio elsewhere while maintaining local service.

Mayor Kevin Woollers and members of the council expressed appreciation for the station’s community role and advised Weber to start the formal rezoning process. Becca, city staff, outlined that the parcel is zoned municipal conservancy and explained the district’s permitted, conditional and prohibited uses — including restrictions tied to floodplain and wildlife protections — and said that conditional uses (such as limited residential or public education facilities) require planning-commission review.

Council members recommended that Weber file a rezoning application so the planning commission can evaluate whether a spot rezoning or conditional-use permit is appropriate. “I think that’s where it needs to start,” one council member said, urging use of the planning commission’s process rather than immediate council action. Staff noted rezoning can take several months and estimated the earliest possible outcome would likely be in spring if the application is submitted promptly.

Weber said an FCC attorney had suggested asking the city to buy the land as a pragmatic way to preserve local broadcasting while allowing the city to retain long-term control of the site. Council members discussed the financial and logistical implications — including an estimate from Weber that moving the tower would cost about $1 million — and did not commit to purchase but agreed to move the rezoning request forward for planning-commission consideration.

Next steps: Weber was encouraged to complete and file a rezoning request; the planning commission will consider the application at its upcoming meeting. No formal council action to purchase property was taken during the meeting.