Thursday, December 6, 2012

We Ask a Budget Question


MCPS has a handy webpage called "Ask a Budget Question"

So, we are going to ask a budget question.  MCPS has 29 leases with telecommunications companies who have cell towers and transmission compounds on Board of Education land.  How much money do these leases bring in to MCPS in one year?  

Here's our question:

How much rent was paid to MCPS in calendar year 2011 for the 29 leases it holds with telecommunications companies that have constructed telecommunications facilities on MCPS land? 


Telecommunication Vendors and MCPS lease locations listed below: 

Cricket Dalewood Drive
T-Mobile Dalewood Drive
Clear Wireless 12501 Dalewood Drive
T-Mobile Muncaster Mill Rd
T-Mobile Norris Drive
Sprint/Nextel Randolph Road
T-Mobile Randolph Road
Cricket Randolph Road
Verizon W. University Blvd
Sprint/Nextel W. University Blvd
AT&T W. University Blvd
Cricket W. University Blvd
T-Mobile Valley Brook Drive
Clear Wireless Valley Brook Drive
T-Mobile Norwood Road
Cricket Norwood Road
T-Mobile Apple Ridge Road
T-Mobile Old Georgetown Road
Tower Co Old Georgetown Road
Comcast Emory Grove Road
AT&T Emory Grove Road
Tower Co Emory Grove Road
Sprint/Nextel Emory Grove Road
T-Mobile Emory Grove Road
T-Mobile Blunt Road
PMB Olney Sandy Spring Road
Sprint/Nextel Olney Sandy Spring Road
AT&T Olney Sandy Spring Road
Cricket Olney Sandy Spring Road

We will let you know when, and if, we receive an answer to our question.

7 comments:

  1. I'd guess 700,000, maybe as high as $1,000,000.

    $2000 to $3000/mo per lease.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Examine the full and true budgetary impact of these cell towers that are located close to our schools by looking at both sides of the ledger. Asking just about rental income will provide an incomplete and likely distorted picture. The answer will fail to account for:
    • Declines in property tax revenues (largest share going to schools) due to towers’ detrimental affects on nearby residential property values; and
    • The stigma of towers having adverse affects on these schools’ student populations. When there is a tower proposed/erected how many families with means opt to send their children elsewhere, and therefore no longer volunteer, fundraise, or make donations at that local school?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Did MCPS provide the above telecom locations? The list is incomplete. Capt. James E Daly ES is one of the sites that is missing. See blogpost below.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Daly ES is believed to be the Blunt Road location. Blunt Road is located on the South East side of the Daly ES site.

      Delete
    2. No, the list did not come from MCPS. The list came from Montgomery County.

      Delete
  4. No response as of February 7, 2013, so the Question was re-submitted to the MCPS Ask a Budget Question site.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Turns out the "Ask a Budget Question" website was nothing more than a webpage. The questions went nowhere.

    Now that's responsiveness for you!

    ReplyDelete

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