Chapter 13.12
UNDERGROUND UTILITY DISTRICTS
Sections:
13.12.020 Removal of overhead facilities—Public hearing.
13.12.030 Designation of districts—Council resolution.
13.12.040 Compliance with undergrounding order.
13.12.050 Exceptions—Emergency service.
13.12.060 Exceptions—Authorized when.
13.12.070 Designation of districts—Notice requirements.
13.12.080 Utility company responsibilities.
13.12.090 Property owner responsibilities.
13.12.100 City responsibilities.
13.12.010 Definitions.
Whenever in this chapter the words or phrases hereinafter in this section defined are used, they shall have the respective meanings assigned to them in the following definitions:
A. "Commission" means the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California.
B. "Person" means and includes individuals, firms, corporations, partnerships, and their agents and employees.
C. "Poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures" means poles, towers, supports, wires, conductors, guys, stubs, platforms, crossarms, braces, transformers, insulators, cutouts, switches, communications circuits, appliances, attachments and appurtenances located above-ground within a district and used or useful in supplying electric, communication or similar or associated service.
D. "Underground Utility District" or "District" means that area in the City within which poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures are prohibited, as such area is described in a resolution adopted pursuant to the provisions of Sections 13.12.030 of this chapter.
E. "Utility" means and includes all persons or entities supplying electric, communication or similar or associated service by means of electrical materials or devices. (Ord. 655 § 1, 1968)
13.12.020 Removal of overhead facilities—Public hearing.
A. The Council may from time to time call public hearings to ascertain whether the public necessity, health, safety or welfare requires the removal of poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures within designated areas of the City and the underground installation of wires and facilities for supplying electric, communication or similar or associated service. The City Clerk shall notify all affected property owners, as shown on the last equalized assessment roll, and utilities concerned, by mail, of the time and place of such hearings at least fifteen days prior to the date thereof.
B. Each such hearing shall be open to the public and may be continued from time to time. At each such hearing, all persons interested shall be given an opportunity to be heard. The decision of the Council shall be final and conclusive. (Ord. 978 § 8, 1987; Ord. 655 § 2, 1968)
13.12.030 Designation of districts—Council resolution.
A. If, after any such public hearing, the Council finds that the public necessity, health, safety or welfare requires such removal and such underground installation within a designated area, the Council shall, by resolution, declare such designated area an Underground Utility District, and order such removal and underground installation.
B. Such resolution shall include a description of the area comprising such district, and shall fix the time within which such removal and underground installation shall be accomplished and within which affected property owners must be ready to receive underground service. A reasonable time shall be allowed for such removal and underground installation, having due regard for the availability of labor, materials and equipment necessary for such removal, and for the installation of such underground facilities as may be occasioned thereby. (Ord. 655 § 3, 1968)
13.12.040 Compliance with undergrounding order.
Whenever the Council creates an Underground Utility District and orders the removal of poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures therein, as provided in Section 13.12.030 of this chapter, it is unlawful for any person or utility to erect, construct, place, keep, maintain, continue, employ or operate poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures in the District after the date when such overhead facilities are required to be removed by such resolution, except as such overhead facilities may be required to furnish service to an owner or occupant of property prior to the performance by such owner or occupant of the underground work necessary for such owner or occupant to continue to receive utility service, as provided in Section 13.12.090 of this chapter, and for such reasonable time required to remove such facilities after the work has been performed, and except as otherwise provided in this chapter. (Ord. 655 § 4, 1968)
13.12.050 Exceptions—Emergency service.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, overhead facilities may be installed and maintained for a period, not to exceed ten days, without authority of the Director of Public Works, in order to provide emergency service. The Director of Public Works may grant special permission, on such terms as the Director of Public Works may deem appropriate, in cases of unusual circumstances, without discrimination as to any person or utility, to erect, construct, install, maintain, use or operate poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures. (Ord. 655 § 5, 1968)
13.12.060 Exceptions—Authorized when.
In any resolution adopted pursuant to Section 13.12.030 of this chapter, the City may authorize any or all of the following exceptions:
A. Any municipal facilities or equipment installed under the supervision and to the satisfaction of the City Engineer;
B. Poles or electroliers used exclusively for street lighting;
C. Overhead wires, exclusive of supporting structures, crossing any portion of a district within which overhead wires have been prohibited, or connecting to buildings on the perimeter of a District, when such wires originate in an area from which poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures are not prohibited;
D. Poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures used for the transmission of electric energy at nominal voltages in excess of thirty-four thousand five hundred volts;
E. Overhead wires attached to the exterior surface of a building by means of a bracket or other fixture and extending from one location on the building to another location on the same building or to an adjacent building without crossing any public street;
F. Antennae, associated equipment and supporting structures used by a utility for furnishing communication services;
G. Equipment appurtenant to underground facilities, such as surface-mounted transformers, pedestal-mounted terminal boxes and meter cabinets, and concealed ducts;
H. Temporary poles, overhead wires and associated overhead structures used or to be used in conjunction with construction projects. (Ord. 655 § 6, 1968)
13.12.070 Designation of districts—Notice requirements.
A. Within ten days after the effective date of a resolution adopted pursuant to Section 13.12.030 of this chapter, the City Clerk shall notify all affected utilities and all persons owning real property within the District created by such resolution of the adoption thereof. The City Clerk shall further notify such affected property owners of the necessity that, if they or any person occupying such property desire to continue to receive electric, communication or similar or associated service, they or such occupant shall provide all necessary facility changes on their premises so as to receive such service from the lines of the supplying utility or utilities at a new location.
B. Notification by the City Clerk shall be made by mailing a copy of the resolution adopted pursuant to Section 13.12.030, together with a copy of this chapter, to affected property owners, as such are shown on the last equalized assessment roll and to the affected utilities. (Ord. 655 § 7, 1968)
13.12.080 Utility company responsibilities.
If underground construction is necessary to provide utility service within a district created by any resolution adopted pursuant to Section 13.12.030 of this chapter, the supplying utility shall furnish that portion of the conduits, conductors and associated equipment required to be furnished by it under its applicable rules, regulations and tariffs on file with the Commission. (Ord. 655 § 8, 1968)
13.12.090 Property owner responsibilities.
A. Every person owning, operating, leasing, occupying or renting a building or structure within a District shall construct and provide that portion of the service connection on his property between the facilities referred to in Section 13.12.080 and the termination facility on or within the building or structure being served. If the above is not accomplished by any person within the time provided for in the resolution enacted pursuant to Section 13.12.030 herein, the City Engineer shall give notice in writing to the person in possession of such premises, and a notice in writing to the owner thereof as shown on the last equalized assessment roll, to provide the required underground facilities within ten days after receipt of such notice.
B. The notice to provide the required underground facilities may be given either by personal service or by mail. In case of service by mail on either of such persons, the notice must be deposited in the United States mail in a sealed envelope with postage prepaid, addressed to the person in possession of such premises at such premises, and the notice must be addressed to the owner thereof as such owner’s name appears, and must be addressed to such owner’s last known address as the same appears on the last equalized assessment roll, and when no address appears, to General Delivery, City of San Carlos. If notice is given by mail, such notice shall be deemed to have been sent within forty-eight hours after the mailing thereof. If notice is given by mail to either the owner or occupant of such premises, the City Engineer shall, within forty-eight hours after the mailing thereof, cause a copy thereof, printed on a card not less than eight by ten inches in size, to be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises.
C. The notice given by the City Engineer to provide the required underground facilities shall particularly specify what work is required to be done, and shall state that if the work is not completed within thirty days after the receipt of such notice, the City Engineer will provide such required underground facilities, in which case the cost and expense thereof will be assessed against the property benefited and become a lien upon the property.
D. If upon the expiration of the thirty-day period the required underground facilities have not been provided, the City Engineer shall forthwith proceed to do the work; provided, however, if such premises are unoccupied and no electric or communications services are being furnished thereto, the City Engineer shall in lieu of providing the required underground facilities, have the authority to order the disconnection and removal of any and all overhead service wires and associated facilities supplying utility service to the property. Upon completion of the work by the City Engineer, he shall file a written report with the City Council setting forth the fact that the required underground facilities have been provided and the cost thereof, together with a legal description of the property against which such cost is to be assessed. The Council shall thereupon fix a time and place for hearing protests against the assessment of the cost of such work upon such premises, which such time shall not be less than ten days thereafter.
E. The City Engineer shall forthwith, upon the time for hearing such protests having been fixed, give a notice in writing to the person in possession of such premises, and a notice in writing thereof to the owner thereof, in the manner hereinabove provided for the giving of the notice to provide the required underground facilities, of the time and place that the Council will pass upon such report and will hear protests against such assessment. Such notice shall also set forth the amount of the proposed assessment.
F. Upon the date and hour set for the hearing of protests, the Council shall hear and consider the report and all protests, if there be any, and then proceed to affirm, modify or reject the assessment.
G. If any assessment is not paid within five days after its confirmation by the Council, the amount of the assessment shall become a lien upon the property against which the assessment is made by the City Engineer, and the City Engineer is directed to turn over to the Assessor and Tax Collector a notice of lien on each of such properties on which the assessment has not been paid, and the Assessor and Tax Collector shall add the amount of the assessment to the next regular bill for taxes levied against the premises upon which the assessment was not paid. The assessment shall be due and payable at the same time as the property taxes are due and payable, and if not paid when due and payable, shall bear interest at the rate of six percent per year. (Ord. 655 § 9, 1968)
13.12.100 City responsibilities.
The City shall remove at its own expense all City-owned equipment from all poles required to be removed hereunder in ample time to enable the owner or user of such poles to remove the same within the time specified in the resolution enacted pursuant to Section 13.12.030 of this chapter. (Ord. 655 § 10, 1968)
13.12.110 Extension of time.
In the event that any act required by this chapter or by a resolution adopted pursuant to Section 13.12.030 hereof cannot be performed within the time provided, on account of shortage of materials, war, restraint by public authorities, strikes, labor disturbances, civil disobedience, or any other circumstances beyond the control of the actor, then the time within which such act will be accomplished shall be extended for a period equivalent to the time of such limitation. (Ord. 655 § 11, 1968)
13.12.120 Violation—Penalty.
A. Any person violating any of the provisions or failing to comply with any of the mandatory requirements of the ordinances of the City is guilty of a misdemeanor, unless the violation is made an infraction by ordinance.
B. Except in cases where a different punishment is prescribed by any ordinance of the City, any person convicted of a misdemeanor for violation of an ordinance of the City is punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not to exceed six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
C. Any person convicted of an infraction for violation of an ordinance of the City is punishable by:
1. A fine not exceeding one hundred dollars for a first violation;
2. A fine not exceeding two hundred dollars for a second violation of the same ordinance within one year; or
3. A fine not exceeding five hundred dollars for each additional violation of the same ordinance within one year.
D. Each person is guilty of a separate offense for each and every day during any portion of which any violation of any provision of this chapter is committed, continued or permitted by any such person, and he shall be punishable accordingly.
E. In addition to the penalties set out in this chapter, any condition caused or permitted to exist in violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed a public nuisance and may be, by the City, summarily abated as such, and each day such condition continues shall be regarded as a new and separate offense. (Ord. 978 § 2 (part), 1987)