Needles Municipal Code Art. 6C II Conditions Governing the Extension of Electric Distribution and Services

6C-2-1 Conditions Governing The Extension Of Electric Distribution And Services

Application for City’s electric service often involves construction of new facilities for various distances and costs depending upon Customer’s location, load size and load characteristics. With such variations, it is necessary to establish conditions under which City will extend its facilities.

All extensions are subject to the availability of adequate capacity, voltage and City facilities at the beginning point of an extension. These rules shall govern extensions of both overhead and underground electric facilities to Customers whose requirements are deemed by City to be usual and reasonable in nature.

1. Basis for extensions.

1.1 Temporary power basis: all classes of service. 1.2 Footage basis: residential only. 1.3 Economic feasibility basis: all classes of service. 1.4 Responsible resource development basis: residential service only. 1.5 Economic development basis: specific applications only. 1.6 Doubtful permanency basis: all classes of service. 1.7 Seasonal Customer basis: all classes of service.

2. Extension conditions.

2.1 Underground construction required. All new electric extensions shall be underground construction and must comply with the requirements of section 4 below. At City option, underground construction variances may be allowed for the following conditions.

2.1.1 Overhead single or three phase service lines may be constructed, if the distribution system the service line is connected to is overhead. Service lines are defined as those lines that connect directly to a transformer or secondary voltage delivery system, and are the lines extended to Customer’s electric entrance equipment. However, overhead service lines may not be constructed when Customer is located in an existing or proposed overhead to underground conversion area, or in an existing or proposed underground development.

2.1.2 At City’s option, twelve Kv feeder lines (as defined by City), and lines of voltages higher than twelve Kv may be constructed overhead, even though such lines are being constructed in an underground development. The construction of such lines shall not exempt Customer from undergrounding all other facilities, including any services being extended from such overhead lines.

2.1.3 At City’s option, an overhead line may remain as part of a new extension, if there is an existing distribution pole line(s) on or across a recorded subdivision or development at the time of application, and the line will be utilized in the extension. However, this condition shall not apply if the pole line were serving a building or group of buildings or any other type of service which would be removed before the development is completed.

2.1.4 An overhead extension may be constructed when, in City’s opinion, an underground extension is not feasible from either an engineering, operation or economic standpoint.

2.2 Irrigation Customers. Customers requiring construction of electric facilities for service to irrigation pumping will advance the total cost of construction, which may include a portion of the cost from designated irrigation substations. Advances are subject to refund as specified in section 3 below.

2.3 Temporary Customers.

2.3.1 General. Service to be rendered to a Customer for a period of less than twelve (12) consecutive calendar months shall be extended as a temporary service. City, at its option, may classify any facilities that are known to be removed after a specific period, or upon completion of a project as temporary, even though service may be rendered beyond twelve (12) consecutive months.

2.3.2 Where a temporary meter or construction meter is required to provide service to a Customer, then Customer in advance of installation or construction shall make a nonrefundable contribution equal to the cost of installing and removing the facilities required to furnish service, less the salvage value of such facilities. When the use of the service is discontinued or agreement for service is terminated, City may dismantle its facilities, and the materials and equipment provided by City will be salvaged and remain its property.

2.3.3 Construction meters which are positioned in the permanent Customer’s meter location, and that require no change in the service conductor size or length to serve the permanent Customer’s facilities, shall be considered permanent.

2.4 Real estate development. Extensions of electric facilities within real estate developments including residential subdivisions, industrial parks, mobile home parks, apartment complexes, planned area developments, etc., may be made in advance of application for service by permanent Customers. These extensions are eligible to qualify for either the economic feasibility, responsible resource development, or the economic development extension bases, depending upon development type. Anticipated revenues for real estate development extensions shall be calculated by City based upon the estimated electric energy to be used at each Customer location. Revenue estimates shall be made from comparable development revenue histories, and/or load information provided by the developer. Only City determined estimated revenues shall be used for economic feasibility studies.

2.4.1 Mobile home parks. City shall refuse service to all new construction and/or expansion of existing permanent residential mobile home parks unless the construction and/or expansion is individually metered by City.

2.4.2 Apartment complexes, condominiums and other multiunit residential buildings. City shall refuse service to all new construction and/or expansion of apartment complexes and condominiums unless the construction or expansion is individually metered by City.

2.5 Seasonal Customers. Extensions of electric facilities to Customer’s premises, which will be continuously occupied less than nine (9) months out of each twelve (12) month period may be made only on an economic feasibility basis.

3. Refunds.

3.1 General policy.

3.1.1 Revenues from Customers being served by an extension connected to the extension being surveyed, shall be considered only if the connected extension was made under the footage, economic feasibility, responsible resource development, or economic development basis. Such connected extensions, to be qualified for refund consideration, must have at least one active Customer within five hundred feet from the interconnection point of the extension being surveyed.

3.1.2 City shall conduct a refund survey on the annual anniversary of the execution date of the extension agreement. The survey shall use the extension basis criteria in force at the time the extension was installed to calculate any refunds. City reserves the right to apply any extension refunds to Customer’s account(s), if any account(s) are delinquent or past due. Refunds shall never exceed the amount originally advanced.

3.1.3 Refunds can only be made to Customer, developer or developer’s company, whoever executed the extension agreement. If development or property ownership or control changes during the refund period, it is Customer/developer’s responsibility to form a refund resolution agreement between the parties of such a transaction. City will not honor any contractual or other arrangement that transfers the refund from the original Customer/developer, who executed the extension agreement to another party, even if a refund resolution agreement exists between the parties.

3.2 In lieu of revenue surveys, City may determine the number of permanent Customers connected to the extension for a residential real estate development, and a refund may be made on a “per” Customer basis. Refunds for each permanent Customer shall only be refunded one time. A permanent Customer must have service installed and be an active account at the time of the refund survey to be qualified for the refund study. The City shall specify in the extension agreement, the amount of refund per permanent Customer connected and may require a number of “qualified” Customers be connected to an extension prior to the extension qualifying for a refund survey. Once a permanent Customer has been included in a refund survey. Once a permanent Customer has been included in a refund survey, Customer shall not be counted in future surveys, regardless if such Customer is active or inactive at the time of the survey.

4. Underground construction.

4.1 General policy.

4.1.1 Customer or developer shall provide all earthwork including, but not limited to trench, boring or punching, conduits, vaults, pull boxes, manholes, cabinet pad sites, shoring, bedding, backfill, compaction and surface restoration, in accordance with City specifications.

4.1.2 Customer or developer shall conform to City’s underground installation and utility facility placement specifications and standards.

4.1.3 Customer or developer shall provide and install conduit, manholes, vaults, pull boxes, and sweeps at all proposed equipment locations. All materials and installation shall meet City specifications.

4.1.4 Customers or developers requesting underground extensions may be required to sign an underground electric extension agreement.

4.1.5 If, after construction of the extension, final clearance or grade is changed in such a way as to require relocation of the underground facilities, or results in damage to such facilities, the cost of such relocation and/or resulting repairs shall be borne by Customer or developer.

4.2 Inspection and City acceptance of trench and conduit.

4.2.1 City shall inspect Customer/developer installed trench and conduit on a mutually agreed upon date prior to Customer/developer shading and backfilling the trenching and conduit. Phased inspection may be required, and the completion and inspection dates for each phase shall be agreed to by Customer/developer and City.

4.2.2 When City has approved the trenching and conduit installation, a second inspection date shall be mutually agreed to for inspection of the trench and conduit after shading and prior to backfill.

4.2.3 When the trench and conduit shading has been approved, Customer/developer shall complete backfilling and compaction of the trench. City shall inspect final trench backfill and compaction, and approve prior to final surface restoration.

4.2.4 When the backfill and compaction has been approved, Customer/developer must complete final surface restoration of existing roadways, sidewalks, bike paths, etc. as specified by City. If the final surface of the trench is in a new development ,actual surfacing can be completed as required, City will complete the restoration and bill Customer/developer for actual costs plus appropriate overheads and/or administrative fees.

4.3 Customer owned entrance and service vault and/or space requirements.

4.3.1 City must have immediate operating access to electrical equipment at all times. Immediate access, for City approved inside building installation, is intended to mean:

4.3.1.1 Access from outside by either a door (City to have key), manhole or vault lid with no obstructions;

4.3.1.2 A security guard on location, available on a twenty-four-hour basis, with keys and access to buildings and vaults;

4.3.1.3 Disconnecting switches that can be operated outside the building or vault that will allow disconnect of the load under emergency conditions. The cost of such switches shall be paid by Customer, and shall be a nonrefundable contribution to City’s extension construction. Design of such equipment must be approved by City prior to installation.

4.3.2 Pad mounted transformers and similar equipment locations must have vehicle access acceptable to City, with the construction and clearances of Customer installed traffic or decorative barriers subject to City approval. Access shall include a permanent unobstructed path of sufficient size and surface to accommodate trucks and crews necessary for equipment replacement. All equipment locations must be approved by City.

4.3.3 Vaults and transformer locations inside of buildings shall have access to the outside in such a way that the electrical equipment can be directly set by a crane in the equipment cell or on the same level as the vault.

4.3.4 There shall be permanently flat and unobstructed access from this point to the equipment cell location. Exterior equipment access to the subsurface vaults shall be through unobstructed lift slabs at or above finish grade with vehicle access acceptable to City. Access shall include a permanent unobstructed path of sufficient size and surface to support trucks and cranes necessary for equipment replacement. All vault designs and locations must be approved by City.

4.3.5 In all vaults, internal to a building, Customer will provide, at no charge to City, a telephone either inside the vault or near the entrance to the vault.

4.3.6 Customer shall not store equipment or other items in equipment rooms or vaults where electric utility equipment is located.

4.4 New underground services. Customer will supply and install service conduit, per City specifications, from service stub-outs to service entrance section riser(s).

4.4.1 Single phase services. Customer shall pay a nonrefundable contribution of four dollars and forty-five cents per foot for service extension footage in excess of one hundred fifty feet. Excess footage service extensions will only be allowed, if such extension conforms to all City service requirements.

Customer shall pay a nonrefundable contribution of five dollars and sixty-five cents per foot for service extension footage in excess of forth feet. Excess footage service extensions will only be allowed, if such extension conforms to all City service requirements.

5. Alternate electric feeds. City will provide an alternate or loop feed to a Customer as part of an extension, if requested, and provided the following requirements are met.

The extension, (if the conditions specified in section 7.1 are met and the total extension does not exceed seven hundred fifty (750) feet per new permanent residential Customer, or a maximum of two thousand five hundred (2,500) feet for the entire extension, or Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000)), will be constructed at no cost by City.

7.3 Extensions over the free distance. Extensions over the free distance. Extensions which meet the conditions specified in section 7.1, but which exceed the free distance in section 7.2, may still qualify for a footage basis extension provided Customer or Customers sign an extension agreement and advance the cost of such additional footage.

8. Economic feasibility basis extensions.

9. Responsible resource development basis (residential real estate developments only).

12. Settlement of disputes. Any dispute between Customer or prospective Customer and City regarding the interpretation of these conditions governing extensions of electric distribution lines and services may, by either party, be referred to the board of public utilities for determination.

13. Interest. All advances made by Customer to City in aid of construction shall be noninterest bearing.

14. Extension Agreements. All line extensions requiring payment by Customer shall be in writing and signed by both Customer and City. (Ord. 404-AC.)