OR 60-24 Lone Star Gas Co. 6024
AN ORDINANCE GRANTING TO LONE STAR GAS COMPANY, A
CORPORATION, ITS SUCGESSORS AND ASSIGNS, A FRANCHISE
TO FURNISH AND SUPPLY GAS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN
THE TOWN OF COPPELL, DALLAS COUNTY, TEXAS, AND THE
ENVIRONS THEREOF; FIXING RATES AND CHARGES FOR
NATURAL GAS AND NATURAL GAS SERVICE; PROVIDING FOR
THE PAYMENT OF A FEE OR CHARGE FOR THE USE OF THE
STREETS, ALSYS AND PUBLIC WAYS, AND PROVIDING THAT
IT SHALL BE IN LIEU OF OTHER FEES AND CHARGES, EX-
CEPTING AD VALOREM TAXES AND TAXES OF GENERAL
APPLICATION.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF COPPELL, TEXAS:
SECTION 1. That the. Town of Coppell, Texas, hereinafter called
"Town", hereby grants to Lone Star Gas Company, hereinafter called
"Company", its successors and assigns, consent to use and occupy the
present and future streets, alleys, highways, public places, public
thoroughfares and grounds of Town for the purpose of laying, main-
raining, constructing, operating and replacing therein and thereon
pipelines and all other appurtenant equipment needed and necessary
to deliver and sell gas to persons, firms and corporations, including
all the general public, within the Town's corporate limits and the
environs thereof, said consent being granted for a term of thirty-five
(35) years from and after the date of the final passage and approval
of this ordinance.
SECTION 2. Company shall lay, maintain, construct, operate and re-
place its pipes, mains, laterals and other equipment so as to interfere
as little as possible with traffic and shall promptly clean up and re-
store to an approximate original condition, at its cost, all thorough-
fares and other surfaces which it may disturb. The location of all
mains, pipes, laterals and other appurtenant equipment shall be fixed
under the supervision of the Town Council or an authorized committee or
agent appointed by said Council.
SECTION 3. when Company shall make or cause to be made excavations
or shall place obstructions in any street, alley or other public place,
the public shall be protected by barriers and lights placed, erected and
maintained by Company; and in the event of injury to any person or damage
to any property by reason of the construction, operation or maintenance
of the gas distributing plant or system of Company, Company shall indem-
nify and keep harmless Town from any and all liability in connection
therewith. Company shall repair, clean up and restore to an approximate
original condition all streets' and alleys disturbed during the construction
and repair of its gas distributing system.
SECTION 4. In addition to the rates charged for gas supplied,
Company may. make and enforce reasonable charges, rules and regulations
for service rendered in the conduct of its business, including a charge
for services rendered in the inauguration of natural gas service, and
may require, before furnishing service, the execution of a contract
therefor. Company shall have the right to contract with each customer
with reference to the installation of, and payment for, any and all of
the gas piping from the connection thereof with the Company's main in
the streets or alleys to and throughout the consumer's premises. Company
shall own, operate and maintain all service lines which are defined as
the supply lines from the Company's main to the consumer's curb line
when mains are located in the streets and to the consumer's property
line when .mains are located in the alleys. The consumer shall own,
operate and maintain all yard lines and house piping. Yard lines are
defined as the underground supply lines extending from the point of
connection with Company's service line to the point of connection with
consumer' s house piping.
SECTION 5. Company shall not be required to extend mains on any
street more than fifty (50) feet for any one consumer of gas. Nor shall
Company be required to connect to intermediate or high-pressure lines.
SECTION 6. Company shall be entitled to require from each and
every consumer of gas, before gas service is commenced, a deposit of
twice the .amount of an estimated average monthly bill, which said de-
posit may be retained by Company until service is discontinued and all
bills therefor have been paid. Company shall then return said deposit
to the consumer, together with six per cent (6%) interest thereon from
the date of said deposit up to. the date of discontinuance of service.
Company shall be entitled to apply said deposit, with accrued interest,
to any indebtedness owed Company by the consumer making the deposit.
SECTION 7. The rights, privileges and franchises granted by this
ordinance are not to be considered exclusive, and Town hereby expressly
reserves the right to grant, at any time, like privileges, rights and
franchises as it may see fit to any other person or corporation for the
purpose of furnishing gas for light, heat and power to and for Town and
the inhabitants thereof.
SECTION 8. Company shall furnish reasonably adequate service to
the public at reasonable rates and charges therefor; and Company shall
maintain its property, equipment and appliances in good order and con-
dition.
SECTION 9. Company, its successors and assigns, agrees to pay
and Town agrees to accept, on or before the first day of April, 1961,
and on or before the same day of each succeeding year during the life
of this franchise, up to and including the year 1995, a sum ofmoney which
shall be equivalent to two per cent (2%) of the gross receipts received
by the Company from the sale of gas to its domestic and commercial con-
sumers within the corporate limits of said Town (expressly excluding,
however, receipts derived from sales to industrial and governmental
users and consumers in said Town) for the preceding calendar year, which
annual payment shall be for the rights and privileges herein granted to
Company including expressly, without limitation, the right to use the
streets, alleys and public ways of said Town. And it is also expressly
agreed that the aforesaid annual payment shs. ll be in lieu of any and all
other and additional occupation taxes, easement and franchise taxes, or
charges (whether levied as an ad valorem, special or ether character
of tax or charge), in lieu of municipal license and inspection fees,
street taxes and street or alley rentals or charges, and all other
and additional municipal taxes, charges, levies, fees and rentals of
whatsoever kind and character which Town may impose or hereafter be
authorized to levy and collect, excepting only the usual general or
special ad valorem taxes,, which Town is authorized to levy and impose
upon real and personal property or any other tax of general applica-
tion which Town may hereafter be authorized to levy and impose. Should
Town not have the legal power to agree that the payment of the fore-
going sums of money shall be in lieu of taxes, Licenses, fees, street
or alley rentals or charges, easement or franchise taxes or charges
aforesaid, then Town agrees that it will apply so,much of said sums
of money paid as may be necessary to satisfy Company's obligations,
if 'any, to pay any such taxes, licenses, charges, fees, rentals, ease-
ments or franchise taxes or charges.
In order to determine the gross receipts received by Company_ from
the sale of gas (expressly excluding the sales of gas to industrial and
governmental consumers) within the corporate limits of Town, Company
agrees that on the same date that payments are made as provided in the
preceding paragraph of this Section 9, it will file with the Town Clerk
a sworn report showing the gross receipts received from the sale of gas
to its domestic and commercial consumers within said corporate limits
for the calendar year preceding the date of payment. Town may, if it
sees fit, have the books and records of Company examined by a represen-
tative of said Town to ascertain the correctness of the sworn reports
agreed to be filed herein.
Receipts from sales to governmental users or consumers shall in-
clude all those receipts derived from the sale of gas to federal, state,
county or town governments or branches and subdivisiohs thereof, school
districts or other similar districts, it being the intention to include
within the term ''governmental user and consumers" all tax-supported
institutions owned or operated directly or indirectly by said govern-
ments and branches or subdivisions thereof, such as schools, colleges,
hospitals, eleemosynary institutions, army or training camps, airports,
courthouse, town hall and other institutions of like or similar kind
and character.
"Industrial users or consumers" as herein used, are those generally
and commonly classified as such by Company.
The payment herein provided shall be for the period January 1 to
December 31 of the respective year that the payment is made.
SECTION 10. Effective with the first gas bill rendered after the
effective date of this ordinance, the rases and charges for sales of
natural gas and natural gas service rendered to residential and com,
mercial consumers within the town limits of Town by Company are hereby
fixed and determined to be as follows:
(Based on Monthly Consumption Registered on One Meter)
First 1 MCF @ $1.760 per MCF gross; $1.584 per MCF net.
Next 1 MCF @ 1.482 per MCF gross; 1.335 per MCF net.
Next 3 MCF @ · 927 per MCF gross; ,834 per MCF net.
Next 20 MCF @ .649 per MCF gross; .584 per MCF net.
Ail Over 25 MCF @ .593 per MCF gross; .534 per MCF net.
A minimam charge of One Dollar and Fifty-Three Cents ($1.53) per
meter per month shall be made even though customer shall not have used
sufficient gas in such month to make the amoumt of the bill equal to
such One Dollar and Fifty-Three Cents ($1.53).
Net rate shall apply to all bills paid within ten (10) days from
monthly billing date. Thereafter, gross rate shall apply.
The above rate schedule is applicable to each customer per month
or for any part of a month for which gas is used at the same location.
The rates and charges herein provided, however, shall be subject
to revision and change by either the Town of Coppell or Company in the
manner provided by law.
SECTION 11. Effective with the date of passage of this ordinance
there is hereby fixed amd determined a Reconnect Charge to be applied
as follows:
A charge of Two Dollars ($2.00), or the cost of actual
materials and labor furnished,whichever is greater, is to
be made in instances where service is being reinaugurated
for the same customer in the same distribution plant within
a period of twelve (12) months following the date service
was last discontinued, and it shall also apply in cases where
gas service has been discontinued for nonpayment. This Re-
connect Charge shall apply in those cases where the customer
discontinues service at one location and resumes service at
another within the same town, and will also include seasonal
customers who discontinue and resume service at the same
location within a period of twelve (12) months. This charge
however shall not be made tO a new customer or one whose ser-
vices have been discontinued and resumed after a period of
more than one year. The Reconnect Charge will apply on
right of way accounts, so long as the customer's moves are
confined to within a billing district.
This charge is not to be mad® to churches, public schools and
governmental buildings supported by town, county, state or federal
funds.
SECTION 12. Company shall file its written acceptance of this
franchise ordinance within sixty (60) days after its final passage
and approval by said Town.
Ordinance 60-24 was passed and approved by the Town Council
of the Town of Coppell, Texas on September 10, 1960.