Board approves 259‑foot cell tower for T‑Mobile, denies absent license applicant; resident urges limits on data centers

The Upson County Board of Commissioners approved a special exception July 14 to allow a 259‑foot communication tower on a 51‑acre parcel east of Yatesville Highway, and adopted several other routine items including a retirement‑plan amendment and a budget line‑item realignment.

The applicant's attorney, who identified himself in the meeting record, told the board the tower is proposed for T‑Mobile and that the firm provided a revised distance to a gas pipeline (620 feet), which exceeds necessary safety multiples of tower height. The attorney said the tower will offer three colocation spaces that would be available at market rates and that the applicant agrees to staff and planning commission conditions, including adherence to the county's landscaping requirements and a strict 259‑foot height limit. "I respectfully request approval of a 259 foot tall ... communication tower," the attorney said (speaker 10).

Commissioner Biggs moved to approve Special Exception application SPX20226‑01 subject to the planning commission and staff recommendations; Commissioner Jones seconded. The board voted to approve the application.

Public comment and licensing actions Linda Straley, a District 2 resident, spoke during public comment to urge the county to enact strong local restrictions on large data centers and on commercial water extraction. Straley cited national examples and offered figures she said were reported elsewhere: that midsize data centers can use "up to 300,000 gallons of water a day" and large facilities as much as "5,000,000 gallons a day." She asked the board to adopt zoning protections to prevent unanticipated impacts on wells, utilities and property values.

On a separate licensing matter, the board considered a beer‑and‑wine package license application for Rick Food and Gas LLC (listed applicant: Roy Shahin Grama) at 398 Martin Luther King Drive in Thomaston. The applicant was not present; the manager who attended said the applicant (an elderly woman) could not attend the meeting. The board voted to deny the request until the applicant is present.

Additional actions and administrative items - The board approved a limited amendment to a legacy 457 retirement plan to allow participants to begin drawing at 59½; staff said the sheriff agreed to cover related setup fees from his budget. - The board approved a first amendment to an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Thomaston to accelerate distribution of the county's 1¢ sales‑tax portion so Thomaston can issue its property‑tax rollback earlier; staff said this is a reallocation of existing revenue, not a new tax. - The board approved a budget amendment (Resolution 11.20.26‑20‑26) moving contingency funds to cover roughly $41,000 for a security detail and about $34,036 to cover extra election costs; staff said this is an administrative fund reallocation, not a tax increase.

What happens next: the tower approval is subject to plan review and landscaping/height limits enforced during permitting. The license denial requires the applicant to appear before the board to request reconsideration. The board also tasked staff with processing the retirement and budget amendments through routine administrative channels.

Votes at a glance: the tower special exception, the 457 amendment, the intergovernmental agreement amendment, the budget amendment, and the consent agenda all passed by roll call; the beer-and-wine license was denied due to applicant nonappearance.

The board adjourned after brief commissioner remarks and thanks to attendees and online viewers.