The city of Senoia could soon be seeing revenue from an unexpected source — its water towers.

During Monday night's Senoia City Council meeting, the council heard a presentation from Malcom Jackson, representing Utility Services Inc.

The company currently performs maintenance on the city's water towers and is looking to expand its revenue stream.

Jackson explained his company is seeking contracts from municipalities to erect cellular towers on top of water towers.

Cities would receive 70 percent of the rental fees from the telephone companies, while Utility Services would receive 30 percent.

With many towns denying any more cell towers to be built, Jackson said the telephone companies are looking at alternatives to find more locations to place towers.

Currently, there are about 50,000 towers in the country, but Jackson said more than 100,000 will be needed in the next few years because of the switch from analog phones to digital phones.

If cities agree to let the phone companies put the antennas on the towers, the revenue stream could be staggering. Jackson said a tower in Hilton Head, S.C. is currently generating $250,000 a year in revenues from renting out to six cellular companies.

Typically, a city can expect to receive between $9,000 and $36,000 a year from each company that locates on the tower.

Police Chief Ben Thomas wondered whether the utility company would also place his department's radio antenna on the tower.

Jackson agreed to, and said his company would make sure that any cellular towers would not interfere with any of the police band broadcasts.

“They can always change their frequency,” he said.

While Jackson could not guarantee that a company would want to locate on the tower immediately, he said the city's towers are in a good location and would definitely garner interest in the next two years.

Councilman Kyle Frank enthusiastically supported the idea.

“It's free money,” he said.

Jackson said the city's only responsibility would be in maintaining the grounds around the towers so that repair people would not have a problem in getting to the towers.

Mayor Joan Trammell thought the idea was good, but said she wants to study the proposal a little further. She asked Jackson to come back to the Sept. 13 meeting for a decision.

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