Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The Baltimore County Council has approved legislation that would allow government officials to control small wireless facility design guidelines.
Known as Bill 8-19, County officials would be allowed input in the placement, design or appearance of such small wireless devices as fiber optic wire, new antennas, satellite dishes and cable equipment implemented by mobile network providers.
In other action on Monday, the council also approved a wastewater bill that changes the way customers are notified about rate heights and Zoning Regulation legislation for Towson.
Councilman Tom Quick, who pushed for the guidelines legislation weeks ago, said the wireless guidelines involve such carriers as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, which are working with the county on specific guidelines to implement.
This new infrastructure would be required to meet the needs of the data hungry consumers, Quirk said.
Council member Izzy Patoka asked about the timeline that it would take for 5G, a new faster mobile network, to be up and running in the Baltimore area. Currently, he said officials haven’t said when this new blazing fast network will be fully up and running.
The bill was amended and passed unanimously.
Council member Julian E. Jones Jr. asked the seven-member board to support an effort to change the time of request for wastewater user charges. He said county residents have endured a recent spike in the cost of their utility bills.
“We have talked to the six biggest mortgages companies in the state who currently only have a 90-day policy on the wastewater bill request,” Jones Jr. said. “We need to push the amount of time people have to react to a change in their bill from 90 days to 240 days.”
The council noted problems faced by county residents who see spikes in charges when the meters are read by hand with inaccurate results.
“I wonder how this issue would be resolved and if the increase in the cost for individuals is justified or not,” said Councilman Wade Kach.
Customer service lies at the heart of this issue because there is no representation for residents, officials said.
“The process for an appeal to this bill is somewhat hidden in a contract and needs to be addressed,” Councilwoman Cathy Bevins said.
The council agreed to attach to the bill a stipulation that a study be made to determine how many county residents are having an issue with their water bill. This study would require time and a lot of resources, 30 to 60 days depending on how complex the business process analysis is, officials said, adding that the best solution could be to automate the process of reading these meters to avoid error.
“What we are trying to do is build a system that will be open and fair to the citizens when we are long gone,” Jones Jr. said.
The wastewater bill, known as Bill 9-19, passed unanimously.
Councilman David Mark introduced Bill 10-19 on Zoning Regulations for Downtown Towson. He explained that the bill detailed issues concerning signs and construction in the downtown area. An amendment would allow murals that are 20 feet in the Towson area.
“By no means are we experts on signs, we have professionals for that will address any issues,” Mark said.