BUTLER — The county commissioners are considering a new program in which cell towers and other telecommunication structures within the county would be taxed.

Chris Savage, the county's director of assessment, told the commissioners at their Wednesday meeting that many other counties impose a tax on the owners of cell towers.

He recommended that the commissioners approve Evaluator Services and Technology to evaluate the 100 or so cell towers that are spread throughout the county and provide an amount the company thinks the county would bring in each year through a new tax.

Savage said the revenue amounts received in each county cannot be compared, because the tax would be based on the individual county's assessment. Each county's tax amount would be different based on their individual assessment rates.

Savage said Erie County earns $140,000 in annual revenue from its tax, McKean and Crawford counties $45,800 each and Lawrence County $65,000.

He could not estimate what Butler County's revenue would be until the structures are evaluated, but he said the amount should cover within two years the $45,000 outlay to hire Evaluator Services and Technology to provide the evaluation.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel asked whether the landowners or cell tower owners would be taxed.

“The tower owners would pay the taxes,” Savage said. “We're not going to touch the land.”

Savage said the evaluators would train assessment office personnel on how to assess the structures for new construction in the future.

Some cell towers, Savage said, could not be taxed because they are antennas on top of buildings, water towers or other high structures.

He said the evaluators would determine how many of the 100 towers in the county would be nontaxable.

Boozel said some towers are owned by cellular companies and others by private industry.

The commissioners are expected to take action on the recommendation at next Wednesday's meeting.

“It would be nice to generate some income off of these (towers),” Savage said.