The East Lansing City Council will hold a public hearing today to decide if the city should implement a maintenance fee on telecommunication companies - bringing $50,000 into the city annually.
Residents will receive a chance to voice their opinion for the Metropolitan Extension Telecommunications Rights-of-Way Oversight Act at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the city council chambers, 101 Linden St. The act will charge telecommunication companies an annual maintenance fee of $0.05 per linear foot.
East Lansing Deputy City Manager Jean Golden said the fee will help the city's struggling budget by adding money into major and local street funds.
Golden said the additional fee will help alleviate cuts to the budget. "We need every dollar we can get right now," she said.
Bill Mathewson, general counsel for the Michigan Municipal League, said the fees will help create consistency between communities - allowing for telecommunication companies to lessen paperwork and red tape.
Telecommunication companies are faced with having to attain permits from each city with inconsistent processes and fees. Mathewson said no companies have formally opposed the act.
"I think there will be more standardization and more predictability," he said.
The council can also approve a request from the MSU Take-Down Club for recognition as a nonprofit organization so they can obtain a gambling license for a raffle for fund-raising purposes.
The planning commission will present the 2002 revision of the Northern Tier Land Use Plan, which updates the progress of the developing area since 1993 when the plan was last updated.
While the plan includes similar development goals as the 1993 version, newly annexed land and the future projects are included, the city's planning and zoning administrator Bob Owen said.
"The key is to have good goals to begin with," he said.
Golden said the plan is important because city is known for its balance of residences and businesses.
"East Lansing has always been known for its responsible use of land," she said."It's known for being a city that doesn't have heavy industry."
