1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to Hennepin county; allowing use of certain 
  1.3             county facilities for commercial wireless service 
  1.4             providers and allowing the lease of sites for public 
  1.5             safety communication equipment; amending Minnesota 
  1.6             Statutes 1996, section 383B.255, subdivision 1, and by 
  1.7             adding a subdivision. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 383B.255, 
  1.10  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subdivision 1.  [RADIO SYSTEM.] Hennepin county may 
  1.12  establish and rent, lease, construct, equip, and maintain a 
  1.13  radio broadcasting station or stations, with land-fixed repeater 
  1.14  stations and other necessary communication equipment, to be used 
  1.15  for public safety communications.  It may acquire land by gift, 
  1.16  purchase, lease, or condemnation for use as a site for the 
  1.17  stations public safety communications equipment.  Public safety 
  1.18  communications sites may be acquired by lease for a period of up 
  1.19  to 25 years in duration.  Public safety communications may 
  1.20  include police, fire, highway maintenance, emergency medical 
  1.21  service, local government, forestry conservation, and other 
  1.22  communications as determined by the county board. 
  1.23     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 383B.255, is 
  1.24  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.25     Subd. 1a.  [ANTENNA SITE USE AGREEMENTS.] Use of county 
  1.26  owned radio towers, building rooftops, lands, rights-of-way, and 
  2.1   easements may be made available to commercial wireless service 
  2.2   providers for the purpose of installing antennas and equipment 
  2.3   necessary for construction of the national wireless 
  2.4   telecommunications infrastructure.  Hennepin county may acquire 
  2.5   site use fees, or by gift or other means, improvements to public 
  2.6   safety communications facilities, or other personal property, as 
  2.7   compensation for antenna site use.  Antenna site use agreements 
  2.8   may be entered into by any means available and in the manner 
  2.9   determined by the county board, with or without advertisement 
  2.10  for bids.