Crawfordsville, IN is fighting to prevent the proliferation of cell towers across its city. The city’s Board of Works and Public Safety approved a resolution in response to an Indiana state law, Senate Bill 213, that would make it easier for wireless companies to build cell towers, reports the Journal Review.
The legislation, which was approved earlier this week by the state legislature and now awaits signature from Governor Eric Holcomb, would allow wireless companies to place equipment on any property where there are underground utilities, regardless of local zoning regulations.
Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton was aware that the state legislature was weighing the legislation, but the plan was approved late in the General Assembly’s session, a tactic Barton criticized. “The state legislature, at the last minute, passed a bill that will allow cell towers to be built in municipal right-of-ways regardless of any zoning or ordinances,” Barton told the Journal Review. Barton added that the state “sold out” its cities and towns.
The plan gives cities until May 1 to enact some local restrictions in response to the approved law, a tight timeframe that motivated the Crawfordsville Board of Public Works and Safety to work swiftly on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning to approve the resolution.
May 1, 2017
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