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instead, are charged to recover the costs of mitigating the degradation that <br />the excavation causes to the pavement over and adjacent to the trench, <br />and the increased cost to the City in reconstructing a street that has been <br />patched following an excavation. <br /> <br />Likewise, this Ordinance is consistent with the terms of existing utility <br />franchises with the City of Santa Ana, because (i) a franchise is intended <br />solely to authorize a utility's use of City streets, ways, alleys and places, <br />(ii) franchise fees established for franchises were not intended to recover <br />the costs of mitigating damage to the pavement over or adjacent to the <br />trench; nor was this damage known to the City when fees for the City's <br />existing franchises were established, (iii) the City does not use, nor is it <br />required to use, franchise fee revenue to pay for street surfacing, <br />resurfacing and/or reconstruction, (iv) franchises are subject to ordinances <br />and regulations subsequently enacted by the City in the exemise of its <br />police power, and (v) the fee authorized by this Ordinance is not related to <br />the quality of workmanship of the repair of the street following its <br />excavation, but instead relate to the shortening of the effective life of a <br />street and the increased cost in reconstruction that is inherent in any <br />excavation. <br /> <br />J= <br /> <br />This Ordinance is in conformance with Section 253(C) of the Federal <br />Telecommunications Act of 1996 which expressly recognizes the authority <br />of local governments to impose reasonable nondiscriminatory fees upon <br />telecommunications providers using the public right-of-way, as well as <br />California Government Code 50030 which specifically authorizes the <br />imposition of a permit fee that do not exceed the reasonable costs of <br />providing the service for which the fee is charged. <br /> <br /> Section 2. Sections 33-58 (Bond or Insurance) and 33-59 (Permit) of the City's <br />Code are hereby repealed. <br /> <br /> Section 3. Sections 33-59 through 33-59.6 are hereby added to Chapter 33 of <br />the City's Code as follows: <br /> <br />Section 33-59. Purpose of Trench Cut Fee. <br /> <br />Excavations in paved streets owned and maintained by the City degrade and <br />shorten the life of the surface of the streets, and this degradation increases the <br />frequency and cost to the public of necessary resurfacing, maintenance and <br />repair. It is appropriate that entities responsible for excavating into the City's <br />right of way bear this burden rather than the taxpayers of the City. In addition, <br />establishment of a trench cut fee will create an incentive for coordination of <br />efforts in excavating the streets to lay utilities. <br /> <br />Ordinance No, NS-2480 <br /> Page 3 of 7 <br /> <br /> <br />