111.01 FRANCHISE GRANTED. There is hereby granted to MidAmerican Energy Company, an Iowa corporation, (hereinafter called “Company”), and its successors and assigns, the right and non-exclusive franchise to acquire, construct, erect, maintain and operate in the City of Randolph, Iowa, (hereinafter called the “City”), a system for the transmission and distribution of electric energy and communications signals along, under, over and upon the streets, avenues, rights of way and alleys to serve customers within the City, and to furnish and sell electric energy to the City and its inhabitants. The Company is granted the right to exercise of powers of eminent domain, subject to City Council approval. This franchise shall be effective for a 25 year period from and after the effective date of this ordinance.†

111.02 RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES. The rights and privileges hereby granted are subject to the restrictions and limitations of Chapter 364 of the Code of Iowa 2021, or as subsequently amended or changed.

111.03 PLACEMENT OF APPLIANCES. The Company shall have the right to erect all necessary poles and to place thereon the necessary wires, fixtures and accessories as well as to excavate and bury conduits or conductors for the distribution of electric energy and communications signals in and through the City, provided the same shall be placed in accord with this franchise and City Code regulations of the City, regarding the placement of structures, facilities, accessories, or other objects in the right-of-way, including ordinances which assign corridors or other placements to users of the right-of-way and requirements which may be adopted regarding separation of structures, facilities, accessories, or other objects.

111.04 CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE. The Company shall, excluding facilities located in private easements (whether titled in Company exclusively or in Company and other entities), in accordance with Iowa law including Company’s Tariff on file with and made effective by the Iowa Utilities Board as may subsequently be amended (“Tariff”), at its cost and expense, locate and relocate its existing installations located in, on, over or under the right-of-way of any public street, right-of-way or alley in the City in such a manner as the City may require for the purposes of facilitating the construction, reconstruction, maintenance, or repair of the street right-of-way or alley. If the City has a reasonable alternative route for the street, right-of-way or alley or an alternative construction method, which would not cause the relocation of Company installations or would minimize the cost or expense of relocation of

† EDITOR’S NOTE: Ordinance No. 535-22, adopting an electric franchise for the City, was passed and adopted on September 6, 2022.

Company installations, the City and Company shall work together to consider said alternative route or construction method. The City shall, in the extension or modification of streets and roads, make provision for the placement of company service lines and facilities on City-owned right-of-way without charge to Company. In planning for the extension or modification of streets, the City shall, to the extent practicable, design such changes to limit the need for relocation of Company facilities. The City shall be responsible for surveying and staking the right-of-way for City projects that require the Company to relocate Company facilities. If requested, the City shall provide, at no cost to the Company, copies of the relocation plan and profile and cross section drawings. If vegetation and tree removals must be completed by the City as part of the City’s project and are necessary whether or not utility facilities must be relocated, the City, at its own cost, shall be responsible for said removals. If the timing of vegetation and tree removals does not coincide with Company’s facilities relocation schedule and the Company must remove vegetation and trees that are included in the City’s portion of the project, the City shall either remove them or reimburse the Company for the expenses incurred to remove said materials. If project funds from a source other than the City are available to pay for the relocation of utility facilities, the City shall use its best efforts to secure said funds and provide them to the Company to compensate the Company for the costs of relocation

111.05 EXCAVATION. In making excavations in any streets, avenues, and public places for the installation, maintenance, or repair of conductor, conduits, or the erection of poles and wires or other appliances, the Company shall not unreasonably obstruct the use of the streets. The Company in making such excavations shall, if required by ordinance, obtain a City permit therefore and provide City representatives with advance notice prior to the actual commencement of the work, and shall comply with all provisions and requirements of the City in its regulation of the use of City right-of-way in performing such work. In emergencies which require immediate excavation, the Company may proceed with the work without first applying for or obtaining the permit, provided, however, that Company shall apply for and obtain the excavation permit as soon as possible after commencing such emergency work. The Company shall comply with all provisions and requirements of the City in its regulation of the use of City right-of-way in performing such work. The Company shall comply with all City ordinances regarding paving cuts, placement of facilities and restoration of pavement and other public infrastructure. The Company shall replace the surface, restoring the condition as existed prior to the Company’s excavation but shall not be required to improve or modify the public right-of- way, sidewalks, or other areas in or adjacent to the Company project to a condition superior to its immediate previously existing condition. Company shall complete all repairs in a timely manner. Company agrees any replacement of road surface shall conform to current City ordinances regarding its depth and composition.

111.06 UTILITY EASEMENT. Vacating a street, avenue, alley, public ground, or public right-of-way shall not deprive the Company of its right to operate and maintain existing facilities and their replacements on, below, above, or beneath the vacated property. Prior to the City abandoning or vacating any street, avenue, alley, or public ground where the Company has electric facilities, the City shall grant the Company a utility easement for said facilities.

111.07 RELOCATION NOT REQUIRED. The Company shall not be required to relocate, at its cost and expense, Company facilities in the public right-of-way that have been relocated at Company expense at the direction of the City in the previous 10 years.

111.08 RELOCATION REIMBURSEMENT. Pursuant to relocation of Company facilities, if the City orders or requests the Company to relocate its existing facilities or equipment in order to directly facilitate a project for the primary benefit of a commercial or private developer or other non-public entity, the City shall require the developer or non-public entity to reimburse the Company for the cost of such relocation as a precondition to relocation of its existing facilities or equipment. The Company shall not be required to relocate in order to facilitate such private project at its expense.

111.09 INDEMNIFICATION. The Company shall indemnify, save and hold harmless the City from any and all claims, suits, losses, damages, costs or expenses, on account of injury or damage to any person or property, to the extent caused or occasioned by the Company’s negligence in construction, reconstruction, excavation, operation, or maintenance of the electric facilities authorized by this franchise; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to defend, indemnify and save harmless the City for any costs or damages to the extent arising from the negligence of the City, its officers, employees, or agents.

111.10 REMOVAL OF VEGETATION. The pruning and removal of vegetation and trees shall be done in accordance with current nationally accepted safety and utility industry standards and federal and State law, rules, and regulations. The Company is authorized and empowered to prune or remove at Company expense, any tree extending into any street, avenue, right-of- way, alley, public place, or public grounds to maintain electric reliability, safety, to restore utility service, and to prevent limbs, branches, or trunks from interfering with the wires and facilities of the Company. The pruning and removal of vegetation and trees shall be completed in accordance with nationally accepted safety and utility standards, NSI Z133.l-2012, American National Standard for Arboricultural Operations-Safety Requirements, and ANSI A300(part 1)
- 2008 Pruning, (Revision of ANSI A300 part 1-2001) American National Standard for Tree, Shrub, and other Woody Plant Management - Standard of Practices (Pruning) or subsequent revisions to these standards, and City ordinances regarding the pruning of trees that incorporate by reference that standard.

111.11 INFORMATION. Upon reasonable request, the Company shall provide the City, on a project specific basis, information indicating the horizontal location, relative to boundaries of the right -of-way, of all equipment which it owns or over which it has control that is located in City right-of-way, including documents, maps, and other information in paper or electronic or other forms (“Information”). The Company and City recognize the information may in whole or part be considered a confidential record under State or federal law or both. Therefore, City shall not release any information without prior consent of the Company and shall return the information to Company upon request. City recognizes that Company claims the information may constitute a trade secret or is otherwise protected from public disclosure by State or federal law on other grounds, and agrees to retain the information in its non-public files. Furthermore, the City agrees that no documents, maps, or other information provided to the City by the Company shall be made available to the public or other entities if such documents or information are exempt from disclosure under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Critical Energy Infrastructure requirements pursuant to 18 CFR
388.112 and 388.113, or Chapter 22 of the Code of Iowa, as such statutes and regulations may be amended from time to time. In the event any action at law, in equity or administrative is brought against the City regarding disclosure of any document which the Company has designated as a trade secret or as otherwise protected from disclosure, the Company shall assume, upon request of the City, the defense of said action and reimburse the City any and all costs, including attorney fees and penalties to the extent allowed by law.

111.12 TERM OF FRANCHISE. The Company shall construct, operate, and maintain its facilities in accordance with the applicable regulations of the Iowa Utilities Board or its successors and Iowa law. During the term of this franchise, the Company shall furnish electric energy in the quantity and quality consistent with and in accordance with the applicable regulations of the Iowa Utilities Board, the Company’s tariff and made effective by the Iowa Utilities Board or its successors and Iowa law.

111.13 FRANCHISE FEE. There is hereby imposed upon the customers a franchise fee of zero percent upon the gross revenues, minus uncollectible accounts, generated from sales of electricity and distribution service, pursuant to the Tariff, by the Company within the corporate limits of the City. The franchise fee shall be remitted by the Company to the City on or before the last business day of the calendar quarter following the close of the calendar quarter in which the franchise fee is charged.
1. City agrees to modify the level of franchise fees imposed only once in any 24- month period.
2. Company will commence collecting franchise fees on or before the first Company billing cycle of the first calendar month following 90 days of receipt of information required of the City to implement the franchise fee, including the City’s documentation of customer classes subject to, or exempted, from City-imposed franchise fee.
3. City shall be solely responsible for identifying customer classes subject to or exempt from paying the City imposed franchise fee. The Company shall have no obligation to collect franchise fees from customers in annexed areas until and unless such ordinances have been provided to the Company by certified mail. The Company shall commence collecting franchise fees in the annexed areas no sooner than 60 days after receiving annexation ordinances from the City.
4. Company shall not, under any circumstances be required to return or refund any franchise fees that have been collected from customers and remitted to the City. In the event the Company is required to provide data or information in defense of the City’s imposition of franchise fees or the Company is required to assist the City in identifying customers or calculating any franchise fee refunds for groups of or individual customers, the City shall reimburse the Company for the expenses incurred by the Company to provide such data or information

111.14 MANAGEMENT FEES. The City shall not, pursuant to Chapter 480A.6 of the Code of Iowa, impose or charge right-of-way management fees upon the Company or fees for permits for Company construction, maintenance, repairs, excavation, pavement cutting, or inspections of Company work sites and projects or related matters.

111.15 APPLICABILITY. This franchise shall apply to and bind the City and Company and their successors and assigns.

111.16 TERMINATION. Either City or Company (“party”) may terminate this franchise if the other party shall be materially in breach of its provisions. Upon the occurrence of a material breach, the non-breaching party shall provide the breaching party with notification by certified mail specifying the alleged breach. The breaching party shall have 60 days to cure the breach, unless it notifies the non-breaching party, and the parties agree upon a longer period for cure. If the breach is not cured within the cure period, the non-breaching party may terminate this franchise. A party shall not be considered to be in breach of this franchise if it has operated in compliance with State or federal law. A party shall not be considered to have breached this franchise if the alleged breach is the result of the actions of a third party or the other party.

111.17 LEGALITY. If any of the provisions of this franchise chapter are for any reason declared to be illegal or void, the lawful provisions of this franchise chapter, which are severable from said unlawful provisions, shall be and remain in full force and effect, the same as if the franchise chapter contained no illegal or void provisions.

111.18 LITIGATION. To the fullest extent permitted by law, each of the parties hereto waives any right it may have to a trial by jury in respect of litigation directly or indirectly arising out of, under or in connection with this agreement. Each party further waives any right to consolidate any action in which a jury trial has been waived with any other action in which a jury trial cannot be or has not been waived.

111.19 ASSIGNMENT. This chapter and the rights and privileges herein granted shall become effective and binding upon its approval and passage in accordance with Iowa law and the written acceptance by the Company. The City shall provide Company with an original signed and sealed copy of this chapter within 10 days of its final passage. The Company shall, within 30 days after the Council approval of this chapter, file in the office of the Clerk, its acceptance in writing of all the terms and provisions of this chapter. Following Council approval, this chapter shall be published in accordance with the Code of Iowa. The effective date of this chapter shall be the date of publication. In the event Company does not file its written acceptance of this chapter within 30 days after its approval by the Council, this chapter shall be void and of no effect.

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