97-02 (2) ORDINANCE NO. 97-02
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF AVENTURA, FLORIDA REPEALING
ORDINANCE NO. 96-26; GRANTING TO BELLSOUTH
TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC. A NON-EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE IN
THE CITY OF AVENTURA; AUTHORIZING BELLSOUTH
TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC. TO USE THE PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY
AND STREETS OF THE CITY, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ERECTING,
CONSTRUCTING, MAINTAINING AND OPERATING LINES OF
TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT THEREON AND THEREUNDER; PROVIDING
FOR A FRANCHISE FEE; PROVIDING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
OF SUCH GRANT; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR
INCLUSION IN THE CODE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
WHEREAS, the City of Aventura finds it in the public interest to retain control over
the use of public rights-of-way by providers of Telephone Services to ensure against
interference with the public convenience, to promote aesthetic considerations, to promote
planned and efficient use of limited right-of-way space, and to protect the public authority
over right-of-way property; and
WHEREAS, the City of Aventura finds that the granting of nonexclusive franchises
is the best means of assuring that the interests of the City of Aventura are promoted.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF AVENTURA, FLORIDA THAT:
Section 1. Grant of Franchise. Permission is hereby granted to BellSouth
Telecommunications, Inc, its successors and assigns (the "Company") to construct,
maintain and operate lines of telephone and telegraph equipment, including the
necessary conduits, poles, cables, electrical conductors, fiber optics and digital
technology fixtures upon, along, under and over the public roads, streets, and rights-of-
way of the City of Aventura, Florida as its telephone and telegraph business may from
time to time require.
Section 2. Term and Limits of Franchise. This non-exclusive franchise granted
by this Ordinance, if accepted by the Company, shall be in fome and effect for a period of
fifteen (15) years from and after its passage provided, however, by written notice within
ninety (90) days prior to the fifth and tenth anniversaries hereof, either party may
commence negotiations for modification of the consideration paid by the Company to the
City set forth in Section 3 herein. If new terms cannot thereafter be agreed upon, either
pad¥ may terminate this franchise upon an additional ninety (90) days notice to the other
party. The permission granted by this franchise covers the following geographic area:
The corporate limits of the City of Aventura as set forth in the Charter of the City of
Aventura, as amended from time to time. Company agrees that the limits of the franchise
are subject to expansion or reduction by annexation and contraction of municipal
boundaries and that the Company has no vested right in a specific area. The City shall
notify the Company of any annexation or contraction of municipal boundaries and provide
the Company a map of the new boundaries in a timely manner. The Company shall take
prompt action to implement computations and corresponding payments to annexation or
contraction and notify City of effective date of same.
Section 3. Franchise Fee; Payments. In consideration of the rights and
privileges herein granted, and to defray the cost of regulating the Company's activities
under this franchise, the Company shall pay to the City annually a sum equal to one
pement (1%) of the gross receipts of the Company on recurring local service revenues
for services provided within the corporate limits of the City by the Company. Included
within such one percent (1%) maximum fee or consideration are all taxes, licenses, fees,
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and other impositions except ad valorem taxes and amounts for assessments for special
benefits, such as sidewalks, street parings, and similar improvements and occupational
license taxes levied or imposed by the City upon the Company. The annual payment
shall be made to the City for each year that the permission granted herein is in effect and
shall be made to the City in four installments. The first, second and third installments of
the annual payment shall be based upon the gross receipts for the first, second and third
quarters, respectively, of the fiscal year and shall be made no later than sixty (60) days
following the end of these pedods. The fourth installment of the annual payment shall be
made no later than sixty (60) days following the end of such fiscal year, and shall be
based upon such gross receipts for the fiscal year but shall be adjusted to reflect payment
of the first three installments and any credits not previously taken. For.purposes of this
payment, such fiscal year shall end on September 30. The first such payment shall be
based upon receipts for the quarter of October, November and December 1996, and shall
be made on or before January 31, 1997. Payments shall be payable to the City of
Aventura, Attention: Finance Support Services Department, dudng regular business
hours of the City.
.Section 4. Review of bi|ling records, if the City wishes to vedfy the payments to
the City under this Ordinance, the Company shall permit the City or a designated
representative of the City, upon reasonable advance wdtten notice, to review the
Company's billing and payment records, upon which the payments were based, dudng
normal business hours at the location of the Company where such records are
maintained. However, no Company records may be taken from the Company's premises,
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and the City shall maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed in these
records and use the information solely for the purposes of verifying payments by the
Company. Such Company records shall be maintained by the Company for the period
prescribed by the Federal Communications Commission and/or the Florida Public Service
Commission.
Section 5. Transferability. If the dghts granted herein to the Company are
transferred or assigned by the Company to any third party incident to a sale or other
transfer of the Company's system or plant, the transferee or assignee shall be obligated
to comply with all of the terms and conditions of this Ordinance.
Section 6. Forfeiture. Failure on the part of the Company to comply in any
substantial respect with any of the material provisions of this agreement shall be grounds
for a forfeiture of the permission granted herein, but no such forfeiture shall take effect if
the reasonableness or propriety thereof is protested by the Company, until a court of
competent jurisdiction (with right of appeal in either party) shall have found that the
Company failed to comply in a substantial respect with any of the material previsions of
this Ordinance. The Company shall have six (6) months after the final determination of
the question to make good the default, before a forfeiture shall result, with the dght in the
City at its discretion to grant such additional time to the Company for compliance as
necessities in the case require.
Section 7. Hold Harmless. The Company shall indemnify the City against and
assume all liabilities for damages which may adse or accrue to the City for any injury to
persons or damage to property from the doing of any work herein authorized, or the
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neglect of the Company or any of its employees to comply with any ordinance regulating
the use of the streets of the City, and the acceptance by the Company of this Ordinance
shall be an agreement by it to pay to the City any sum of money for which the City may
become liable from or by any reason of such injury or damage, including reasonable
attorneys' fees incurred by City.
Section 8. Undercjround Installation. The Company shall install underground
extensions of telephone distribution lines in new residential subdivisions over five units or
new multiple occupancy buildings where all other utilities will also be installed
underground. Such installation shall be provided in accordance with and subject to the
requirements of applicable statutes, and the Flodda Public Service Commission Rules
and Regulations, including any requirements applicable to the applicant for such services,
such as the provision of necessary rights-of-way or easements.
Section 9. Excavation Maintenance and Restoration. The work under this
Ordinance shall be done subject to the supervision of the City. The Company shall
replace or propedy relay and repair any sidewalk, street, lawn, landscaping or swale that
may be displaced by reason of such work. Except where law requires the cost to be
borne by City, whenever t.h3 Company shall cause any opening or alteration to be made
in any of the streets or public places within the City for the purpose of installing,
maintaining, operating or repairing its equipment, such work shall be completed at the
Company's expense within a reasonable time and the Company shall upon the
completion of such work restore such portion of the streets or other public places to
substantially the same condition as it was before the opening or alteration was so made
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and will promptly remove any debds. Upon failure of the Company to perform said repair
or restoration, after twenty (20) days' notice provided in wdting by the City to the
Company, the City may repair such portions of the sidewalk, street, lawn, landscaping or
swale that may have been disturbed by the Company and collect the cost so incurred
from the Company. The City shall promptly provide to the Company all permits, licenses
and other authorizations reasonably necessary for the purpose of installing, maintaining,
operating and repairing the system and facilities.
Section 10. Use of Streets and Rights-of-Way. All poles, wires, cables,
underground conduits, manholes and other fixtures erected by the Company in, upon,
along, across, above, over and under the public roads, streets and rights-of-way within
the corporate limits of the City shall be so located as not to unreasonably interfere with
the use of the streets, avenues, alleys, and public rights-of-way by the traveling public
and to cause minimum interference with the dghts or reasonable convenience of property
owners who adjoin any of the said roads, streets and public rights-of-way.
Section '11. Complaints. All complaints shall be addressed or resolved by the
Company in accordance with the Flodda Public Service Commission rules and
regulations if applicable.
Section '12. Successors and Assigns. Whenever in this Ordinance either the
City or the Company is named or referred to, it shall be deemed to include the respective
successor, successors or assigns of either, and all dghts, privileges and obligations
herein conferred shall bind and inure to the benefit of such successor, successors or
assigns of the City or the Company.
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Section 13. City's Right to Regulate Use of Streets not Abrogated Nothing in
this Ordinance shall be construed as a surrender by the City of its dght or power to pass
ordinances regulating the use of its streets in accordance with City's police powers or
property dghts, provided, however, that such regulation shall not be inconsistent with the
dghts granted herein.
Section 14. WHtten Acceptance by the Company. The Company shall, within
forty-five (45) days after this Ordinance takes effect, file a written acceptance of the
Ordinance with the City Manager.
Section 15. Severability. The provisions of this Ordinance are declared to be
severable and if any section, sentence, clause or phrase of this Ordinance shall for any
reason be held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the
validity of the remaining sections, sentences, clauses, and phrases of this Ordinance
but they shall remain in effect, it being the legislative intent that this Ordinance shall
stand notwithstanding the invalidity of any part.
Section 16. Repeal. Ordinance No. 96-26 concerning the same subject matter
as this Ordinance is hereby repealed.
Section 17. Effective Date. This Ordinance shall be effective immediately upon
adoption on second reading.
The foregoing Ordinance was offered by Councilmember Beskin who moved its
adoption on first reading. This motion was seconded by Councilmember Rogers-Libert,
and upon being put to a vote, the vote was as follows:
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Counciimember Jay R. Beskin
Councilmember Ken Cohen yes
Councilmember Harry Holzberg yes
Counciimember Jeffrey M. Pedow yes
Councilmember Patricia Rogem-Libert yes
Vice Mayor Arthur Berger yes
Mayor Arthur I. Snyder absent
The foregoing Ordinance was offered by Councilmember
Rogers-Libert , who moved its adoption on second reading. This motion
was seconded by Councilmember Cohen , and upon being put to a
vote, the vote was as follows:
Counciimember Jay R. Beskin yes
Councilmember Ken Cohen yes
Councilmember Harry Holzberg .v~.~
Councilmember Jeffrey M. Pedow
Councilmember Patricia Rogers-Libert yes
Vice Mayor Arthur Berger yes
Mayor Arthur I. Snyder yes
PASSED AND ADOPTED on first reading this ].7th day of December, 1996.
PASSED AND ADOPTED on second rea~a..~.,~f, ~1997.
ARTHU~ I. SNYDER, IMAYOR
ATTEST: C~
TERESA M. SMITH, CMC
CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO LEGAL SUFFICIENCY: