AN ORDINANCE, granting to Kansas Gas Service, a Division of ONEOK, Inc., its successors and assigns, a natural gas franchise, prescribing the terms thereof and relating thereto, and repealing all ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent with or in conflict with the terms hereof.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF MOUNT HOPE, KANSAS:
SECTION 1. That in consideration of the benefits to be derived by the City of Mount Hope, Kansas, (“City”), and its inhabitants, there is hereby granted to Kansas Gas Service, a Division of ONE OK, Inc. (“Company”), said Company operating a system for the transmission and distribution of natural gas in the State of Kansas, the right, privilege, and authority for a period of twenty (20) years from the effective date of this ordinance, to occupy and use the several streets, avenues, alleys, bridges, parks, parking areas, and public places of said City, for the placing and maintaining of equipment and property necessary to carry on the business of selling and distributing natural gas for all purposes to the City, and its inhabitants, and through said City and beyond the limits thereof; to obtain said natural gas from any source available; and to do all things necessary or proper to carry on said business.
SECTION 2. As further consideration for the granting of this franchise, and in lieu of any city occupation, license, or permit fees, or revenue taxes, the Company shall pay to the City during the term of this franchise three percent (3 %) of the gross cash receipts from the sale of natural gas for consumption in the City for all purposes within the corporate limits of the City, such payments to be made monthly for the preceding monthly period. Gross cash receipts shall not include other operating revenues received by the Company, which are not related to the “sale of natural gas”. These include, but are not limited to, connection fees, disconnection and reconnection fees, temporary service charges, delayed or late payment charges, collection fees, and returned check charges as such terms are used in tariffs or in the natural gas industry.
SECTION 3. The payments and compensation herein provided shall be in lieu of all other licenses, taxes, charges, and fees, except that the usual general property taxes and special ad valorem property assessments, sales, and excise taxes or charges made for privileges which are not connected with the natural gas business, will be imposed on the Company and are not covered by the payments herein. From and after the date hereof, however, the permit fees required of the Company by any ordinance presently in effect or hereafter adopted for a permit to excavate in or adjacent to any street, alley, or other public place shall be deemed a part of the compensation paid in Section 2 and shall not be separately assessed or collected by the City; in no event, however, shall this provision be interpreted to waive the requirement of notice to the City and the procedural requirements of such ordinance.
SECTION 4. The use of Right of Way under this franchise by the Company shall be subject to all rules, regulations and policies now or hereafter adopted or promulgated by the City in the reasonable exercise of its police power. In addition, the Company shall be subject to all rules, regulations and policies now or hereafter adopted or promulgated by the City relating to permits, sidewalk and pavement cuts, utility location, construction coordination, and other requirements on the use of the Right of Way; provided however, that nothing contained herein shall constitute a waiver of or be construed as waiving the right of the Company to oppose, challenge, or seek judicial review of, in such manner as is now or may hereafter be provided by law, any such rules, regulation or policy proposed, adopted, or promulgated by the City and, further provided other than the items enumerated in Section 3 herein, that such rules, regulations or policies shall not require the payment of additional fees or additional costs for the use of the Right of Way. In any event, the Company is granted an offset for such fees and costs against the franchise fees required to be paid hereunder.
SECTION 5. All mains, services, and pipe which shall be laid or installed under this grant shall be so located and laid as not to obstruct or interfere with any water pipes, drains, sewers, or other structures already installed. Company shall provide, prior to commencing work, information to the City concerning work to be performed in the streets, avenues, bridges, parks, parking areas, and public places of the City, as the City may from time to time require for purposes of record keeping. The City may require that the information be provided on its standard permit form, but without requiring approval, consent, or fees. In the event of an emergency, Company shall have the right to commence work without having first providing such form(s).
SECTION 6. Company shall, in doing the work in connection with its said gas mains, pipes, and services, avoid, so far as may be practicable, interfering with the use of any street, alley, avenue, or other public thoroughfare. It shall, without expense to the City, and in a manner satisfactory to the duly authorized representatives of the City, replace such paving or surface in substantially as good condition as before said work was commenced.
SECTION 7. It is recognized that the natural gas to be delivered hereunder is to be supplied from a pipeline system transporting natural gas from distant sources of supply; and the Company, by its acceptance of this franchise as hereinafter provided, does obligate itself to furnish natural gas in such quantity and for such length of time, limited by the terms hereof, as the said sources and said pipelines are reasonably capable of supplying.
SECTION 8. Company, its successors and assigns, in the construction, maintenance, and operation of its natural gas system, shall use all reasonable and proper precaution to avoid damage or injury to persons and property, and shall hold and save harmless the City from any and all damage, injury, and expense caused by the negligence of said Company, its successors and assigns, or its or their agents or servants.
SECTION 9. Within twenty (20) days after the passage and approval of this Ordinance, Company shall file the same with the Kansas Corporation Commission.
SECTION 10. After the approval of this Ordinance by the City, Company shall file with the City Clerk of the City its written acceptance of this Ordinance. Said Ordinance shall become effective and be in force and shall be and become a binding contract between the parties hereto, their successors and assigns, no later than the first cycle of the monthly billing cycle which begins no later than sixty (60) days after its passage and approval by the City, acceptance by the Company, and publication in the official City newspaper. In its letter of acceptance, Company shall identify the effective date as set forth above and Company shall begin charging its customers those fees set forth in Section 2 above on that date.
SECTION 11. This Ordinance, when accepted as above provided, shall constitute the entire agreement between the City and the Company relating to this franchise and the same shall supercede and cancel any prior understandings, agreements, or representations regarding the subject matter hereof, or involved in negotiations pertaining thereto, whether oral or written, shall be binding upon the parties, including their successors and assigns, and shall not be amended or further obligations imposed without mutual consent of the parties hereto.
SECTION 12.
I. Upon written request of either the City or the Company, this franchise may be reviewed after five (5) years from the effective date of this ordinance, and every five (5) years thereafter to review the rate set forth in Section 2 above. Said request must be served upon the other party at least one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the end of each period set forth above, and shall state specifically the amendments desired. The City and the Company shall negotiate in good faith in an effort to agree upon mutually satisfactory amendments.
Amendments under this section, if any, shall be made by ordinance as prescribed by statute. Except as provided within this section the franchise shall remain in effect according to its terms pending completion of any review or renegotiation provided by this subsection.
II. Upon written request of either the City or the Company, the franchise shall be reopened and renegotiated at any time upon any of the following events:
(a) Change in federal, state, or local law, regulation, or order which materially affects any rights or obligations of either the City or Company, including, but not limited to, the scope of the grant to the Company or the compensation to be received by the City.
(b) Change in the structure or operation of the natural gas industry which materially affects any rights or obligations of either the City or Company, including, but not limited to, the scope of the grant to the Company or the compensation to be received by the City.
(c) Any other material and unintended change or shift in the economic benefit to the City or the Company relied upon and anticipated upon entering into this franchise.
III. The compensation provision of this franchise shall be reopened and renegotiated at any time if energy consumers within the City have access to alternative natural gas suppliers or other suppliers of energy through pipelines, and use the public rights of way or public property of the City without paying a franchise fee or other payment substantially equivalent to the franchise fee established herein, which results in a material and unfair disadvantage to the Company. The use of right of way provision of this franchise shall be reopened and renegotiated if energy consumers within the City have access to alternative natural gas suppliers or other suppliers of energy through pipelines which use the public rights of way or public property of the City, and do not have requirements on the use of the public ways substantially equivalent to the requirements of this franchise, which results in a material and unfair disadvantage to the Company. Upon any such event, the City shall have up to ninety (90) days after written request of the Company to restore competitive neutrality. Following notice to the City, Company may suspend collection and payment of the franchise fee to the City for the affected customers until the City resolves the competitive disadvantage. After the last above referred ninety (90) day period expires without resolution of the competitive disadvantage, the Company shall have no liability to the City for any uncollected franchise fees suspended as provided in the subsection.
SECTION 13. The franchise is granted pursuant to the provisions of K.S.A. 12-2001 and amendments thereto.
SECTION 14. Any and all ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with the terms hereof are hereby repealed or considered as having no effect as of the first cycle of the monthly billing cycle as referenced in Section 10 of this ordinance.
SECTION 15. Should the Kansas Corporation Commission take any action with respect to this franchise ordinance and any amendment thereto which precludes Company from recovering from its customers any costs or fees provided for hereunder, the parties hereto shall renegotiate this ordinance in accordance with Commission’s ruling.
(04-10-2007)