HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Resolution 3052Sen Rafael City Ordinance
CHARTER ORDINANCE 780
CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
UNDERGROUND ORDINANCE
Section 1. Definitions. When-
ever in this ordinance the words
or phrases hereinafter in this sec-
tion defined are used, they shall
have the respective meanings as-
signed to them in the following
definitions:
(a) The word "City" shall mean
the City of San Rafael, a munici-
pal corporation of the State of
California.
(b) The word "Commission"
shall mean the Public Utilities
Commission of the State of Cali-
fornia.
(c) The word "Council" shall
mean the City Council of City.
(d) The phrase "Underground
Utility District" or the words
"Utility District" shall mean that
area in City more particularly de-
scribed as follows:
Parcel 1
Beginning at a point on the
northerly line of Second Street
at the intersection of the east-
erly line of "E" Street, thence
northerly along said line of "E"
Street to the southerly line of
Mission Avenue, thence easterly
along said line to the westerly
line of Lincoln Avenue, thence
southerly along said line to the
northerly line of Third Street,
thence westerly along said line
to the easterly line of Lootens
Place thence southerly across
Third Street to the westerly line
of Lindaro Street, thence south-
erly along said line to the north-
erly line of Second Street, thence
westerly along said line to the
point of beginning.
Parcel 2
Beginning at a point on the
northerly line of Fourth Street
at the intersection of the west-
erly line of "E" Street, thence
westerly along said line of
Fourth Street to the easterly line
of El Camino Avenue, thence
southerly at a right angle to
Fourth Street to the southerly
line of Fourth Street, thence
easterly along said line to the
westerly line of "E" Street,
thence northerly along said line
to the point of beginning.
Parcel 3
The area of the Third Street
Extension as_
roposed by the
City of San afael lying be-
tween the westerly dine of E"
Street and the northerly line of
Second Street.
Parcel 4
That portion of Third Street
described as beginning at the
intersection of the center line of
Union Street with the center line
of Third Street and running
thence easterly along the center
line of Third Street a distance
of 1,300 feet.
(e) The word "person" sliall in-
clude individuals, firms, corpora-
tions copartnerships, and their
agents and employees.
(f) The phrase "poles and over-
head wires and associated over-
head structures" shall mean poles,
towers, supports, wires, conductors,
guys, stubs, platforms, crossarms,
braces, transformers, insulators,
cut-outs, s w i t c h e s, communica-
tions circuits, appliances, attach-
ments and appurtenances located
above ground and used or useful
in supplying electric, communica-
tion, or similar or associated serv-
ice.
(g) The word "Utility" shall in-
clude all persons or entities sup-
plying electric, communication, or
similar or associated service by
means of electrical materials or
devices.
Section 2. Completion of Under -
grounding Program.
(a) After one hundred eighty
(180) months from the effective
date of this ordinance, it shall be
unlawful for any person to main-
tain, own, continue to own op-
erate, or continue to operate or
install, any poles and overhead
wires and associated overhead
structures within the Underground
Utility District.
(b) In order to provide for the
orderly removal of existing poles
and overhead wires and associated
overhead structures within the
Underground Utility District by
the end of the one hundred eighty
(180) months specified in subpara-
graph (a) of this Section 2, it is
the intention of the Council, in-
sofar as may be practicable, to
adopt resolutions pursuant to Sec-
tion 3 of this ordinance which will
result in the removal of poles and
wires a n d associated overhead
structures:
(1) from approximately % of
the area of the Utility Dis-
trict by July 1, 1969,
(2) from approximately % of
the area of the Utility Dis-
San Rafael City Ordinance
trictby JAL
1974,
(3) from all of the area of the
Utility District by July 1,
1979, and
It is also the intention of the
Council, in fixing the areas from
which poles and wires and asso-
ciated overhead structures are to
be removed, to give due considera-
tion to the costs to be incurred
by the utilities in such removal
and in the construction of replac-
ing underground facilities to the
end that such costs will be evenly
distributed over said one hundred
eighty (180) months.
Section 3. Overhead Wires—Pub-
lie Hearing re Removal.
The Council may call a public
hearing to ascertain whether the
public necessity, health or safety
requires the removal of poles and
overhead wires and associated
overhead structures from an area
within the Underground Utility
District. The City Clerk of City
shall notify all affected property
owners and utilities by mail of the
time and place of such hearing at
least thirty (30) days prior to the
date thereof. If after such public
hearing the Council finds that the
public necessity, health or safety
requires such removal, the Coun-
cil shall by resolution order such
removal. A description of the por-
tion of the Underground Utility
District from which said poles and
overhead wires and associated
overhead structures are to be re-
moved shall be included in said
resolution.
Section 4. Overhead Wires—
Time Within Which to Remove
Poles, ete.
The Council shall, In such reso-
lution, fix the time within which
such poles and overhead wires and
associated overhead structures
must be removed and within which
affected property owners must be
ready to receive underground serv-
ice. The Council shall allow a rea-
sonable time for such removal,
having due regard for the avail-
ability of necessary labor, mate-
rials and equipment for such re-
moval and for the installation of
such underground facilities as may
be occasioned thereby.
Section 5. Overhead Wires --Un-
lawful to Maintain Poles, etc.
Whenever the Council orders the
removal of poles and overhead
wires and associated overhead
structures as provided in Section 3
hereof, it shall be unlawful for
any person or utility to maintain
any pole, overhead wire or asso-
ciated overhead structure within
the portion of the Utility District
described in said resolution after
the date when said facilities are
required to be removed.
Any person or utility who shall
erect, construct, place or keep,
maintain, continue, employ, or op-
erate any such pole or overhead
wire or associated overhead struc-
ture within the portion of the
Utility District described in said
resolution, or who shall neglect to
take down and remove any such
pole overhead wire or associated
overhead structure within the time
designated in said resolution, or
who shall otherwise fail to com-
ply with the provisions of this or-
dinance, shall be guilty of a mis-
demeanor, and upon conviction
thereof shall be punishable by a
fine of not more than five hun-
dred dollars ($500.00) nor more
than six months in the County
V
Each consecutive fifteen (15)
day period during which the fail-
ure to comply with the provisions
hereof shall continue shall con-
stitute a separate offense.
Section 6. Overhead Wires—Ex-
ception by Special Permisslon.
The Council maygrant special
permission, on such terms as the
Council may deem appropriate, In
cases of emergency or unusual cir-
cumstances, without discrimina-
tion as to any person or utility,
to erect, construct, install main-
tain use or operate, potes and
overhead wires and associated
overhead structures, notwithstand-
ing any other provisions of this
ordinance.
Section 7. Exceptions — Street
Lighting, Police and Fire Alarms,
Wires of Continuous Lead from
Outside Area, Wires Attached to
Buildings and Radio Antennae.
This ordinance shall not apply
to the following types of facilities:
(a) Poles used exclusively for
police and fire alarm boxes or any
similar municipal equipment in-
stalled under the supervision and
to the satisfaction of the Super-
visor of Public Works of City;
(b) Poles and overhead wires
and associated overhead structures
used exclusively for street light-
ing
(c) An electric distribution sys-
tem consisting of metal poles sup-
San Rafael City Ordinance
porting high voltage wires, trans-
formers and street lights with all
other facilities for the supplying
and distribution of electric energy
and service placed underground,
provided, however that this ex-
ception shall apply only in that
portion of the Utility District de-
scribed as Parcel 4 in Section l(d)
and in areas added to the Utility
District pursuant to Section 13, if
the resolution ordering the addi-
tion so specifies;
(d) Wires of a continuous lead
crossing any portion of the Utility
District from which overhead
wires have been prohibited, or con-
necting to buildings on the per-
imeter of such portion, when such
continuous lead originates in an
area from which poles and over-
head wires and associated over-
head structures are not prohibited;
(e) Overhead wires attached to
the exterior surface of a building
by means of a bracket or other
fixture and extending from one lo-
cation on the building to another
location on the same building or
to an adjacent building without
crossing any public street; or
(f) Radio antennae, their asso-
ciated equipment and supporting
structures, used by a utility for
furnishing communication services.
Section S. Overhead WIres—
Notification of Affected Property
Owners and Utilities.
Within ten (10) days after pas-
sage of the resolution ordering
removal of poles and overhead
wires and associated overhead
structures provided for in Section
3, the City Clerk of City shall
notify all affected utilities and all
persons owning real property with-
in the portion of the Utility Dis-
trict described in said resolution
of the adoption thereof. Said City
Clerk shall further notify said
property owners of the necessity
that, if they or any person occupy-
ing such property desire to con-
tinue to receive electric, communi-
cation or other similar or asso-
ciated service, they or such occu-
fant shall provide all necessary
acility changes cn their premises
so as to receive such service from
the lines of the supplying utility
or utilitiect to es
at a new location, sub -
and tariffs of the ieep5ectivelutions
ili 5
or utilities on file with the Com-
mission and to the requirements
of State laws and City ordinances.
Notification shall be made by
mailing a copy of the resolution,
together with a copy of this ordi-
nance, to the affected utilities and
to affected propertq owners as
such are shown on the last equal-
ized tax roll of the County of Ma-
rin.
Section 9. Overhead Wires—Un-
dk!rgroand Construction.
If underground construction is
necessary to provide utility service
within the area affected by any
resolution adopted pursuant to
Section 3, the supplying utility
shall furnish that portion of the
conduits, conductors and associated
equipment required to be furnished
by it under its applicable rules,
regulatioms and tariffs on file
WE the Commission. Underground
construction by the utility shall
be accomplished in accordance
with established construction
standards and in accordance with
the rules and regulatiuns author-
ized by the Commission, and shall
be completed within the time for
removal of overhead facilities
specified in the resolution adopted
pursuant to Section 3.
Section 10. Overhead Wires—
Property Owners' Responsibility.
(a) All conduits, conductors and
associated equipment necessary to
receive utility service between
service conductors or underground
pipe or conduit of the supplying,
utility and the service facilities in
the building or structure being
served shall be provided by the
person owning, operating, leasing,
or renting said property, subject to
applicable rules, regulations and
tariffs of the respective utility or
utilities on file with the Commis-
sion and to the lawful require-
ments of State laws and City or-
dinances.
(b) In the event the person own -
Ing, operating leasing or renting
said property does not comply wi
the provisions of subparagrapph
(a) of this Section 10 within the
time provided for in the resolution
adopted pursuant to Election 3, the
Supervisor of Public Works shall
have the authority to order the
disconnection and removal of any
and all overhead service wires and
associated facilities supplying util-
ity service to said property
(c) Non-compliance by any per-
son owning, operating, leasing or
renting said property with the pro-
San Rafael City Ordinance
visions of this Section 10 shall con-
stitute a misdemeanor under Sec-
tion 5. Until such time as an order
is issued pursuant to subparagraph
(b) of this Section 10, the supply-
ing utility shall not be in violation
of this ordinance in continuing to
maintain overhead facilities neces-
sary to serve such person during
the period of such non-compli-
ance and such reasonable time
thereafter as may be necessary to
remove the same.
Section 11. Overhead Wires—Ob-
ligation of City.
City shall remove its police and
fire alarm circuits or any similar
municipal equipment at its own
expense 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 adopted pusuant to Sec-
tion 3.
Section 12. Overhead Wires—
Force Majeure.
In the event that any act re-
quired by this ordinance or by a
resolution adopted pursuant to
Section 3 cannot be performed
within the time provided on ac-
count of shortage of materials,
war, restraint by public authori-
ties, strikes, labor disturbances, 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.
Section 13. Adding Areas to the
Underground Utility District.
The Council may from time to
time call public hearings to ascer-
tain whether the public necessity,
health or safety requires that areas
similar in character to the Parcel
1 described in Section 1 be added
to the Underground Utility Dis-
Liict described in said section. Af-
fected property owners and utili-
ties shall be notified of the time
and place of such hearings in the
manner and within the time speei-
fied in Section 3. If, after any such
public hearing, the Council finds
that the public necessity health
or safety requires that the area
be added to the Underground Util-
ity District described in Section
1, it shall by resolution so order.
Such resolution shall specify the
time for completion of the under-
ggrrounding program with respect
to such area, as provided in Sec-
tion 2 with respect to the Under-
ground Utility District described
in Section 1. Upon adoption of
such resolution all of the provi-
sions of this ordinance, except
Section 2, shall apply to the area
so added to the Underground Util-
ity District.
Section 14. Publication—Effee-
tive Date.
This ordinance shall bepub-
lished once in full before its final
passage in the Independent -Jour-
nal, a daily newspaper of general
circulation, printed, published and
circulated In said City, and shall
be in full force and effect thirty
(30) days from and after its final
passage.
/s/ JOHN F. MOINNIS
(SEAL)
ATTEST:
W. C. CORNWELL,
Deputy City Clerk
The above and foregoing Char-
ter Ordinance No. 780 was read
and introduced at a regular meet-
ing of the City Council of the City
of San Rafael, held on Tuesday,
the 3rd day of September 1963,
and ordered passed to pRnt by
the following vote, to -wit:
Ayes: Councilmen: Aby, Bar -
bier, Jensen and Mayor McInnis.
Noes: Councilmen: None.
Absent: Councilmen: Bear
and will come up for adoption as
an ordinance of the City of San
Rafael at a regular meeting of the
Council to be held on Monday,
the 16th day of September, 1963.
(SEAL)
/s/ W.DepC.
ClOty Clerk
No. 1118, Sept. y, 1963