In last week’s meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors, there was a back-and-forth discussion on new zoning laws for wireless communication towers. As the county is currently in the process of upgrading the broadband internet infrastructure, the Navajo County Public Works Department presented a set of standards for new towers or additions to towers being built in Navajo County.
The standards include how far the towers can be built next to roads and property lines, as well as protocols for the building, modifying and removal of wireless towers. Until now, the county had treated these towers as special projects that would be approved on a case-by-case basis, but the county thought it would be useful to have a set of standards, so providers know what to expect when building in Navajo County.
Reg Destree a site acquisition specialist and owner of Destree Development in Phoenix which contracts out to multiple carriers to plan and build these types of projects, spoke at the meeting to ask the board to amend the plan to allow towers up to 99 feet in residential areas. The Planning and Zoning Commission, which put the standards together, had recommended to the board to cap the height of these towers at 80 feet to decrease the risk of an accident. Destree argued, “Nearby counties like Coconino and Gila both use a 99 feet cutoff for their wireless towers, and it works for them.”
Planning Manager Cody Cooper, explained to the board that the biggest reason the Planning and Zoning Commission chose 80 feet was because they felt it balanced public safety and public need for service. District III Supervisor Jason Whiting pressed Cooper on the actual real-life risks of allowing an additional 19 feet of height when a person in the industry says it will allow them to provide better service to the community. To which Cooper replied that it was a general concern for safety.
After the discussion came to a close, the board approved the standards but with an amendment that allows for 99-foot towers to be placed after a certified engineer writes a letter outlining that there is at least a one-to-one ratio of distance away (one foot away from other properties for every foot in height) or two-to-one to mitigate risks associated with a collapse of one of the towers. As well as requiring walls put in place to protect the towers from the potential of a driver accidentally running into it and affecting the structural integrity of the tower.
The county also entered into two intergovernmental agreements with Teesto Chapter, a political subdivision of the Navajo Nation located within Navajo County. The first agreement is aimed at providing financial assistance to Teesto Chapter for the maintenance of heavy equipment used for road maintenance. The Chapter has been instrumental in maintaining and clearing public routes within their community during monsoon and winter seasons but lack of manpower, and equipment maintenance has been a hindrance to their partnership with the county, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Nevada Division of Transportation. As a result, the county has allocated up to $10,000 in Highway User Revenue Funds to be used solely for the maintenance of Teesto Chapter equipment, which maintains BIA public routes located in Navajo County, serving the school district and community. The chapter has an agreement in place with BIA to maintain roads within chapter boundaries.
The second agreement is aimed at providing routine road maintenance work on certain BIA public roads within the Teesto Chapter boundaries. The agreement allows the chapter to assist the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Fort Defiance Agency Branch of Road Maintenance Program in the performance of road maintenance activities on earth and gravel roads. The chapter is responsible for grading and reshaping these roads to a smooth riding surface, maintaining them at acceptable standards, and conducting the work in a safe manner and suitable condition for the usual type and volume of traffic using specified portions of the road.
Both agreements are authorized by federal laws and are aimed at improving road maintenance within the Teesto Chapter boundaries. The agreements show a collaborative effort between the county, BIA, and Teesto Chapter to ensure that public routes within the community are well-maintained and easily accessible to the public.
In other business the board:
* Authorized the clerk of the board to request renewal of undercover plates for the Navajo County Probation Department.
* Approved $17,570 contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates for professional services rendered at Buck Springs Road Equestrian Crossing.
* Extended the contract with Wells Fargo Bank for an additional two years for banking and credit services.
* Authorized an application for a Treasure’s deed for the county to take control of properties that have had a lien assigned to the state for more than five years. The fiscal impact of this is $26,000 out of the Treasurer’s budget.
* Appointed Roger L. Gorres as Republican Precinct Committeeman for Mogollon Precinct.
* Authorized the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office to pursue a grant from the Gila River Indian Community to fund the replacement of two K9 patrol vehicles.
* Authorized Timber Mesa Fire & Medical District to pursue a grant to provide funding for a wildland fire engine.
* Approved a proclamation declaring the week of April 1-7 as Week of the Young Child.
* Authorized the Navajo County Public Health Services District to apply for the Emergency Management Performance Grant for emergency related services such as the Ready Navajo County alert system.
The next meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 11, in the board chambers, located at 100 E. Code Talkers Drive.
