Waite Hill council adopts lease for cell tower on Village Hall property amid resident objections

Waite Hill Village Council voted unanimously July 14 to adopt Ordinance No. 2025-10, authorizing the mayor to enter into an option and lease agreement with Northstar Towers II, LLC to erect and maintain wireless telecommunications facilities on village-owned property, including the site of the Village Hall. The ordinance was read for the third time and carried by roll call vote.

The decision came after several residents spoke both for and against the proposal during the public-comment portion of the meeting. Ralph Lustri, president of the Waite Hill Village Foundation, presented a foundation check before the public comments began; multiple residents then voiced their positions on the tower.

Resident David Schneider submitted a written letter opposing the project that was appended to the meeting minutes. In that letter Schneider argued the ordinance and its attached Exhibit A were so vague that "the first reading was so lacking in information and substance as to be ineffective to begin this process," and he urged alternatives such as smaller microcell installations. Schneider also said the exhibit attached to the ordinance appeared to be a copy of an agreement for Mentor rather than a draft specific to Waite Hill and said those omissions made the process legally defective.

Councilmember Karl Scheucher moved adoption of the ordinance; Abby Hiltsley seconded the motion. The roll-call vote recorded Yeas: Bowden, Doty, Hiltsley, Knezevic, Scheucher, Steudel, Winterer; Nays: None. The ordinance title specifies that it "authorizes the Mayor to enter into an agreement with Northstar Towers II, LLC, to option and lease a portion of the Village’s real property for the purpose of erecting and maintain wireless telecommunications facilities on Village property, and declaring an emergency." The minutes show the ordinance was adopted as presented.

Council did not record detailed lease terms, rental amounts, or the exact tower height in the minutes. Schneider’s letter said the exhibit did not identify the specific village parcel or financial terms and criticized the timing of the first reading relative to Planning & Zoning review. The minutes note that some details would be handled by the Planning & Zoning Commission, but the ordinance as adopted delegates authority to execute an agreement with the mayor and references an attached agreement form.

The Communication and Community Outreach Committee said the next edition of the Village Voice newsletter will include information on the charter amendments and the cell tower project. The minutes record that Schneider gave permission for his letter to be read at the meeting and asked that a copy be made a permanent part of the minutes.

Next steps: The ordinance, which the minutes list as adopted and which the title declares an emergency, authorizes the mayor to proceed with the option and lease process and further steps subject to any conditions in the final agreement and to Planning & Zoning review as required.