Relating to approval requirements for city utilities

This bill relates to approval requirements for city utilities. Under current law, when a city is considering whether to grant, amend, extend, or renew a franchise within the city, a public hearing must be held. After the public hearing, the franchise may be granted, amended, extended, or renewed only by an ordinance, and is not effective unless approved at an election. _____ on for passage at two council meetings prior to the meeting at which the ordinance is to be finally passed. The bill provides that after the public hearing, the city council may make the final determination on whether to grant, amend, extend, or renew the franchise. The bill allows the city council to make the final determination in a single meeting. Under current law, a proposal of a city to establish, acquire, lease, or dispose of a city utility, in order to undertake or to discontinue the operation of the city utility, or the proposal to establish or dissolve a combined utility system, or the proposal to establish or discontinue a utility board, is subject to the approval of the voters of the city. Under the bill, the approval requirement is changed to require the city council to set forth its proposal in a resolution and publish notice of the resolution and of a date, time, and place of a public hearing on the proposal. The bill provides that after the public hearing, the city council may make the final determination on the proposal by resolution. Under current law, a proposal to discontinue a city utility and dispose of such utility by sale, whether upon the city council’s motion or upon the receipt of a valid petition is subject to the approval of the voters of the city. The city must make the proposal available at least 60 days before submitting a proposal for the election. Under the bill, the approval requirement is changed to require the city council to set forth the proposal in a resolution and publish notice of the resolution and of a date, time, and place of a public hearing on the proposal at least 30 days before the hearing. The bill also provides that after the public hearing, the city council may make the final determination on the proposal by resolution.