The Decatur, IL, City Council rejected T-Mobile’s bid for a special permit to build a 150-foot monopine tower on October 5. That was until City Attorney Herman Marks advised otherwise. On Monday (November 2), the council voted to rescind its early decision and has invited Southwest Decatur residents to speak their minds on the proposal at the next city council meeting, November 16.
Council President Gary Hammon said the public will get to speak, and then the council will vote on the issue, according to Bayne Hughes’ report in the Decatur Daily.
“I’m not going to call it a public hearing,” Hammon said. “I will let people get up and speak about the cell phone tower as long as it’s not redundant. If someone has something new to add, then we’ll listen to them.”
Marks said that by giving the public a chance to voice opinions on the issue shows the City Council isn’t trying to rush through it without input. The council’s October 5 vote on the tower was split, reports the Decatur Daily, after residents in the neighborhood presented a petition of 97 signatures in protest of its proposed construction. They said they opposed the cell phone tower because they believe would be an unsightly view within their neighborhood and the possible negative health impact of the cell phone signals from the tower.
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