City Hires Attorney to Review New Cell Tower Ordinance

The on Wednesday agreed to hire a New York-based attorney to review a draft of the city's new wireless telecommunications ordinance and established additional review phases for the document.

With a 5-0 vote, the council stated it wanted Andrew Campanelli to provide feedback on the piece of local legislature, which governs the placement of cellphone towers and is in the process of being revising to include stricter regulations.

Campanelli, who was by the city's Communications & Technology Commission, has had previous experience helping cities adopt new wireless ordinances.

According to his website, he has handled more than 3,000 civil cases and more than 1,000 cases to conclusion. He also flew in from New York City to meet with council members during his bid for the opportunity.

Councilman Fred Gaines said Campanelli was an "excellent choice."

"My idea in suggesting the peer review was to get a different point of view, someone who has experience in the field and might come at it form a different viewpoint," Gaines said during the meeting. "I was impressed with Mr. Campanelli."

The city will pay Campanelli approximately $5,500 for about 20 hours of his service, according to a staff report.

The council also hammered out when the attorney would fit in the ordinance's review schedule.

Council members agreed that prior to sending the ordinance to Campanelli, it would first pass it off to the Communications & Technology Commission so it could provide its own feedback and suggestions as well as collect public input.

The commission's next meeting is on Oct. 3. It might take the panel two meetings to complete the task assigned by the council, said Media Operations Director Deborah Steller.

After that phase, Campanelli will examine the ordinance and make his revisions, and then send it back to the council for final approval.

So far, the council has requested that the document include language that limits the proximity of cellphone towers to schools and residential areas.

A final timeline is not certain, but the city has until June 7, 2012 until a local moratorium on cellphone towers expires.