The Douglas County Board of Commissioners (BOC) is considering a 90-day moratorium on new cell phone towers while the county updates its rules on telecommunications structures.

A public hearing on this moratorium is scheduled for today’s 10 a.m. regular BOC meeting in Citizens Hall at the county courthouse.

County Attorney Ken Bernard said the county’s planning and zoning department is currently drafting changes to the Unified Development Code (UDC) which governs development decisions. The moratorium in necessary, he said, to prevent a rash of last minute filings to avoid the new rules.

Commission Chairman Tom Worthan said that as county residents rely on their cell phones more for communications, it’s important that the county’s regulations be upgraded.

Bernard said the new regulations would also encourage telecommunications companies to locate their towers on government property, if possible, rather than private land. He said a $6-7 thousand fee will be charged for tower applications, but this will be done to pay for the cost of engineering studies for tower location and not as a way for the county to make money.

Other items on today’s BOC agenda include:

• a beer and wine license for Sidna Enterprises, LLC, 9937 Highway 166, Winston; licensee: Dilawar Ismail Aganne;

• acceptance of a $20,000 donation from GreyStone Power Corporation to purchase special ballistic gear for county patrol deputies;

• acceptance of $1,500 donations for animal control;

• amendment of Fiscal Year 2010 Aging Services contract with Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) to increase it by $1,387, providing an additional 209 home delivered meals;

• memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to certify that Douglas County is using the DHS Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, as required by Georgia law;

• acceptance of the VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) continuation funding grant of $33,906;

• adoption of the ARC’s Green Community program;

• adoption of the Douglas County Comprehensive Transportation Plan;

• and approval of emergency purchase orders needed for flood damage repairs.