Round Lake Beach imposes tower moratorium

Communications companies may ask, but they won't receive consideration for a cell tower or antenna in Round Lake Beach for the next six months.

The village board on Monday approved a temporary moratorium running through May 15. During that time, the village will not accept or process applications or issue permits for the devices.

Village officials say it is not a response to a particular proposal but a pre-emptive measure to allow the existing code to be refined to include guidelines for the placement of towers and antennas.

"If we are going to begin getting requests for cell towers in certain locations in town, the board has a review process," said Village Administrator David Kilbane.

"With the way technology is going, it's just a matter of time before we'll be getting requests for cell towers that aren't in a desirable location."

The equipment can be money makers for communities, as communications companies lease space. An average lease can be $15,000 to $20,000 per year and usually runs for five years, Kilbane said.

But the tall towers can be considered less than aesthetically pleasing or even undesirable.

Hawthorn Woods officials on Saturday, for example, voted to annex unincorporated land that had been pegged for a 195-foot tall tower so that the village could exert local control.

Kilbane said the village has three or four communications devices on the two village water towers, which were built with that possibility in mind.

Only one free-standing tower, which essentially is a single pole, exists in the village.

"We've been looking at redoing our comprehensive plan so this is just one component that came up," Kilbane said.

The ordinance approved Monday says it would not be in the public's best interest to review or permit such devices until the village "has carefully examined all applicable regulations."