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. . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - JANUARY 4, 1999 9 Mayor Probst stated that rather than taking a preemptive action to do a moratorium he would feel more comfortable with this issue ifhe knew the actual status in order for the Council to attempt to take a more informed decision on what would be the appropriate action. He stated that although there is the possibility of the application coming in prior to the Council taking a formal action he would hope that, by having this conversation on record, the Council has demonstrated its concerned interest. If the Council would choose to take the path of a moratorium, perhaps as early as January 25, 1999, and an application came in before that time, he would not feel comfortable with the Council's position had action been taken subsequent to this discussion. Mr. Fritsinger suggested that Staff could speak with the City Attorney and gather some information for the W orksession next week. He stated that prior to the W orksession Staff will have met with the tower representatives one more time and there may be additional information available at that time. Staff would also provide information trom the zoning ordnance at the Worksession. Mayor Probst asked if it would be possible to gather information from Shoreview regarding the height of their tower, how much space is actually required, and any problems they may have encountered. Mr. Fritsinger stated he will try to have City Attorney Filla attend the Worksession next week. He indicated that Mr. Filla has been working with Shoreview as the City Attorney for quite a while and he is familiar with the agreements and problems they have experienced. Councilmember Larson indicated that, in reading through the information provided in past meeting packets, there seems to be a great deal of difficulty in denying the construction of new towers, even if there is a warranted reason to oppose it. He noted, however, that in a recent meeting packet there had been legal material which indicated that some cities have successfully fought towers. Councilmember Larson stated that his primary concern is recognizing that Arden Hills is an area which is attractive because it is high and because of flight patterns. He wondered when the City can say enough is enough. He noted that there are already six towers within the cities of Arden Hills and Shoreview. Mr. Ringwald stated that one thing to consider is what the opportunities would be to put other antennas on the new tower to reduce the number of towers. Mr. Fritsinger noted that, in this situation, the proposal would be to take some antennas used by MnDOT, the National Guard and the City and put them all onto one tower. He indicated that, at this point, there is no indication of how this may work. Councilmember Larson stated that one concern he had would be failure to take action in advance of the application being submitted. If, at some point, the Council decides that moratorium would be appropriate action, and the application had already been filed, it would be difficult to prevail. He wondered if there is something more that could be done at this meeting, such as a formal action to have Staff research what may be the implications of considering a moratorium. Therefore, if the Council chose to take this route in future, the Council will have taken some sort of action which leaves the option open, without saying what the Council will or wants to do.