Resolution 195RESOLUTION NO. /
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF EDMONDS, WASHINGTON,
PROVIDING A PROGRAM FOR PLACING ANY EXTENDED OR
EXISTING OVERHEAD ELECTRIC, TELEPHONE, TELEGRAPH,
COMMUNITY ANTENNA TELEVISION AND OTHER FACILITIES
(HEREAFTER TERMED UTILITIES) UNDERGROUND WITHIN
THE CITY OF EDMONDS, AND COORDINATING A PROGRAM
WITH ALL PRIVATE OR PUBLIC AGENCIES OWNING THESE
UTILITIES WITH THE CITY'S STREET, WATER, GAS,
SEWER, OR ANY BEAUTIFICATION PROGRAM.
WHEREAS, the City of Edmonds is presently encouraging
that all newly constructed areas of the city be provided with
underground utilities; and
WHEREAS, the city has expanded its policy on development
of streets and has established a long term plan for develop-
ment of arterials with the assistance of governmental funding
and local improvement districts; and
WHEREAS, the City of Edmonds Park Department is developing
city parks for the enjoyment of its entire citizenry; and
WHEREAS, the City of Edmonds is undergoing a vast amount
of sanitary and storm sewer construction where trenching is
being provided in the public right-of-way and from the public
street to the home owners dwelling; and
WHEREAS, the City of Edmonds has an Underground Facilities
Committee and a Beautification Committee, each made up of
citizens of this community; and
WHEREAS, it is now deemed proper and necessary that the
program of undergrounding any new and any existing utilities
to be expanded to encourage undergrounding both on private and
public properties within a prescribed period of time, now,
therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
EDMONDS, WASHINGTON:
It is declared a policy of the City to promote and
encourage the participation of all utility companies, private
citizens, and other agencies, to place their new utilities, and
equally important, their existing overhead utilities under-
ground, consistent with the maintenance of low utility rates
and provisions of reliable service, to improve and beautify
all principal arterial streets and scenic viewpoints by under -
grounding overhead utilities at the time of street improvements,
or whenever the utility companies plan a large plant expansion,
but not less than seven (7) years from this date; and to
encourage further participation by the City and its citizens to
coordinate their public and private construction efforts and
to research by every means possible to lower the present costs
of undergrounding the utilities in our city. These policies
shall be carried out by the following programs•
I. The City of Edmonds shall make every effort to provide
a budget that will allow for undergrounding all existing wire
utilities over the next ten (10) years. This budget should be
made in a cooperative effort with the utility companies so that
all possible avenues are explored to arrive at a funding method
that is equitable to the citizens and to the individual utilities.
2. The Park Department shall participate in the under -
grounding program by allocating funds in its development program
for parks towards the burying of facilities along the streets
abutting the parks existing today or in the future.
3. The cost of engineering and placing the existing over-
head utilities underground will be borne to a great extent by the
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appropriate utility company, but no less than what would be
incurred by the utility should the utilities be placed over-
head. The City Engineer will be responsible for coordinating
these efforts in light of the utility companies' programs and
the city's programs for the next ten (10) years.
4. The City shall deem it mandatory that all utilities
being placed new into an area of the city where these utilities
do not exist today, will be placed underground in the right-of-
way at the expense of the utility company(s). The cost of
undergrounding on private property will be borne by the property
owner.
5. Whenever the formation of a local improvement district
is contemplated for the improvement of any street by widening
or paving, the City shall encourage and solicit agreement from
the affected property owners that the placing of existing over-
head wires underground be a part of such improvement, unless
evidence is clearly shown that benefits therefrom cannot be
sustained or other special circumstances indicate impractibility
or undue hardship. The city shall provide an ordinance to cover
instructions to the utility companies as to the minimum partici-
pation they will have in the costs of undergroundi.ng should the
L.I.D. be passed.
6. Whenever the formation of a local improvement district
is contemplated or is in progress for construction of sanitary
sewers, it shall be the responsibility of the city to inform
the private property owners of the prescribed location of
laterals and most probable location for the side sewer into
each property and to encourage each owner of said property
to alter or extend his sewer trench from the household to the
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street right-of-way and to bury adequately sized conduit
for utility drops, or the utility drops themselves, in the
side sewer trench so provided. The city engineering department
shall inform all citizens of this procedure and shall issue a
standard set of drawings."for this purpose when property owners
apply for a construction permit for the side sewer trench.
7. It shall be the policy of the City of Edmonds to act
as the coordinator for all the utility companies on all com-
panies on all comprehensive plans issued by the city or on all
local improvement districts. It shall be the responsiblity
of the City supervisor to issue copies and revisions of the
city's comprehensive plans, and the anticipated construction
dates of all phases of these plans, to all utility companies
operating within the City of Edmonds.
8. It is declared that the purpose of the city will be
to exhaust all efforts to accomplish the undergrounding of all
utilities along principal arterials within seven (7) years, along
all streets near scenic points of interest and along parks
within seven (7) years, and throughout the remaining portions
of the city in a steady manner that will result in complete
undergrounding as soon as possible.
9. The City Supervisor and his staff is instructed to
prepare a detailed report during the first quarter of each
year on the progress of the Underground Facilities Program
to include:
(a) A summary of the progress to date in implementing
this resolution; and
(b) An outline of the forecasted undergrounding
program contemplated in the forthcoming years.
PASSED .BY THE ZKONDS CjfY COUNCIL this 17th day of September,
1968.
APPROVED:
ATTEST:
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FILM WITH THE CITY CIERK: September 17, 1968
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