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Oak Park board adopts updated small‑cell wireless rules, raises per‑antenna fee to $270
Summary
The Village Board voted Jan. 27 to amend Chapter 22, Article 14 of the Oak Park code to require federal‑compliance certifications for small‑cell applications, expand the pole‑identification radius from 100 to 200 feet and raise the annual fee from $200 to $270 per antenna. Trustees said the change aligns local code with recent state law and will add roughly $2,000 annually to village revenue.
The Oak Park Village Board voted unanimously Jan. 27 to adopt an ordinance updating local rules for small‑cell wireless facilities, aligning village code with recent state law and increasing the annual installation fee for each antenna from $200 to $270.
Village attorney Greg Smith told trustees the ordinance makes three main changes: applicants must certify compliance with applicable federal regulations; the village may identify an existing pole within a 200‑foot radius (up from 100 feet) to reduce new pole installations; and the per‑antenna annual fee is increased to the statutory cap of $270. "The ordinance before you tonight catches the village up with the changes as permitted by state law," Smith said.
Trustees asked about the local footprint and revenue effects. Smith said there are 32 small‑cell installations in Oak Park currently and projected revenue would grow from about $6,000 to roughly $8,000 a year — "so it is a relatively small increase in revenue," he said. Trustee Straw asked whether the $270 figure was discretionary; Smith responded that state law sets the maximum and the village can elect the amount up to that cap.
After discussion Trustee Straw moved, Trustee Wesley seconded, and Clerk Waters conducted a roll call vote. Trustees Straw, Wesley, Eder, Enya, Levin Jacobson, Taglia and President Skamman voted yes and the motion carried.
The ordinance text was introduced as a first reading and then presented for immediate adoption under the board’s waiver of a second reading. Village staff said the timing was prompted in part by expiring agreements that gave the village an opportunity to incorporate the new fee and regulatory language.
The ordinance updates will apply to small‑cell installations in the public right of way; Smith noted rooftop and privately mounted building antennas are regulated under different standards. The new rules require applicants to certify federal compliance and give the village an expanded radius to locate existing utility or light poles before permitting new standalone poles.
The board did not identify any amendments to the proposal on the floor. The ordinance will be filed with the village clerk and the fee change will take effect under the code update and the implementation steps described by staff.
