The views along Westlake Drive won’t be changing anytime soon, thanks to a West Lake Hills Board of Adjustment decision last week that denied AT&T’s request to raise a cell phone tower behind City Hall by 40 feet.

The Board of Adjustment, which consists of the West Lake Hills City Council, discussed the proposal for more than two hours before unanimously denying the communication giant’s application to raise the 80-foot tower to 120 feet.

AT&T representatives told the board that the tower would be a mono-pole construction, meaning no guide wires or support structures. They said it could be disguised as a flag pole or even a large pine tree, and that cell phone service and coverage would be extended in some parts of the Westbank, including 911 service. They added that the tower would be safe.

Residents disagreed on AT&T’s safety assessment.

Several residents told the board that their arguments were not based on aesthetic concerns but rather safety concerns.

“This tower will put my family in danger,” said Jack Downing, whose Westlake Drive home sits just 34 feet from the base of the current tower.

Downing showed the council several photos of similar mono-pole towers that had fallen in other parts of the U.S. He also showed a YouTube video of mono-pole in Massachusetts that caught fire and collapsed.

“We’re relying on you to follow your own ordinances, especially with regards to health and safety,” Downing told the board.

His wife, Karen Downing, pointed out that the Federal Housing Administration will not issue federally insured home loans to houses within the fall zone of a cell tower, like their home is.

“We believe it is not good policy to put neighbors at risk,” she told the board.

Other residents were concerned about the levels of radiation put out by the tower and by the effect on property values.

One resident, former WLH city councilman Earl Broussard, spoke in favor of the tower because it would increase cell service in the area.

“Cell towers have become a utility, not a luxury,” he told the board. “Living here, it’s almost a tax with all the dropped calls.”

During board discussion, members took issue with the process AT&T used in requesting permission for the new tower and the fact that they did not request the necessary variances.

More than that, board members also seemed concerned with the safety issue and said that the service did not increase enough to justify the taller tower.

“I’m one of the squares that goes from red to blue, but I still can’t support this” said Councilman Andrew Schwartz, indicating the coverage map provided by AT&T. Red squares have no coverage and blue squares do. “Why am I going to ask the people sitting here to take the risk to improve my cell phone service? I can’t.”

In other action, the City Council set the proposed tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year at 5.34 cents per $100 in property valuation, the same rate the city currently has. Property values in the city have fallen about 3 percent. By keeping the tax rate the same, the city will bring in about $33,000 less in revenue next fiscal year.

The proposed property tax rate is where cities begin their budget and tax discussions. The council cannot go above the proposed rate without posting a series of notices, but they can go lower.

Mayor Dave Claunch and City Administrator Robert Wood suggested that the council set the proposed rate higher to give more wiggle room in discussions, but none of the council members were in favor of the idea.

“We have cash in the bank, and I don’t want to put pressure on our residents,” said Councilman Spencer Stevens.

The City Council also voted 5-0 to approve $15,000 in funding for an engineering study on Hull Circle to look at expanding the wastzewater system there. The study will be paid for from the general fund for now, and if the project goes forward it will be added to the project cost.