1996-253 ORDINANCE NO ~
AN ORDINANCE WHEREBY THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS, AND GTE SOUTHWEST
INCORPORATED AGREE THAT, FOR THE PURPOSE OF OPERATING ITS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUSINESS, THE TELEPHO~.~ COMPANY SHALL,
CONSTRUCT, ERECT, BUILD, EQUIP, OWN, MAINTAIN AND OPERATE IN,
ALONG, UNDER, OVER AND ACROSS, THE STREETS, AVENUES, ALLEYS,
BRIDGES, VIADUCTS, AND PUBLIC GROUNDS OF THE CITY, SUCH POSTS,
POLES, WIRES, CABLES, CONDUITS AND OTHER APPLIANCES, STRUCTURES
AND FIXTURES NECESSARY OR CONVENIENT FOR RENDITION OF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES IN SAID CITY AND FOR CONDUCTING A
GENERAL LOCAL AND LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONE BUSINESS, PRESCRIBING
THE CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE USE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY FOR THE
TELZPION~ COMPA~Y'B TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUSINESS, PRESCRIBING THE
QUARTERLY COMPENSATION DUE THE CITY UNDER THIS ORDINANCE,
PROVIDING THE RIGHT OF THE CITY TO USE CERTAIN FACILITIES OF THE
TELEPHONE COMPANY, SPECIFYING GOVERNING LAWS, PROVIDING FOR
ASSIGNMENT; PRESCRIBING THE TERM AND EFFECTIVE DATE OF SAID
AGREEMENT, PROVIDING FOR NOTICE, PROVIDING FOR BINDING EFFECT,
PROVIDING THAT THE ORDINANCE BE CUM%FI~ATIVE, PROVIDING FOR
GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY; PROVIDING FOR CONSENT AND ACCEPTANCE,
PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, PROVIDING FOR CHOICE OF LAW AND
VENUE, FINDING AND DETERMINING T~AT THE MEETING AT WHICH THIS
ORDINANCE IS PASSED IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS REQUIRED BY LAW,
PROVIDING FOR FUTURE CONTINGENCIES, PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF
CONFLICTING ORDINANCES, PROVIDING FOR RELEASE OF ALL CLAIMS UNDER
1018961533
PRIOR ORDINANCES, PROVIDING FOR ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION, AND
PROVIDING FOR METHOD OF ACCEPTANCE
WHEREAS, it is to the mutual advantage of both the City of Denton
("City") and GTE Southwest Incorporated ("Telephone Company")
that an agreement should be entered into between the Telephone
Company and the City establishing the consideration for and
conditions under which the Telephone Co~any shall construct,
maintain and operate its physical plant in the public rights-of-
way within the City's corporate limits in the future,
NOW, T~EFOP2~, BE IT ORDAINED BY 'r~ CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
DENTON, TEXA~, TNAT~
~ DEFINITIONS
Whenever used in this Ordinance, the following words and terms
shall have the definitions and meanings provided in this section
(a) ~ For purposes of this Ordinance, an Access
Line shall be defined as any local line provided by Telephone
Company to a customer in the City which provides access to the
public switched network, including all single line residence,
party line residence, single line business, mult~-l~ne business,
Centrex, Centranet, key lines, ISDN lines, COCT lines, sem~-
public pay telephone lines and PABX trunks or equivalents which
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are assigned to locations inside the corporate limits of the
City.
(b) CITY.. The City of Denton, Texas
(c) ~ Ail Telephone Company duct spaces, manholes,
poles, conduits, underground and overhead passageways, and other
equipment, structures and appurtenances and all associated
Transmission Media, which are located in the City Rlghts-of-Way
(d) - - Ail present and future public streets,
avenues, highways, alleys, bridges, v~aducts, public
thoroughfares, public utility easements, public ways, publlc
grounds, and without limitation by the foregoing enumeration,
other public property within the city l~mlts of the City As
used herein, the term ',RIghts-of-Way" does not Include facll~tles
dedicated to the provision of electrical power to citizens of the
City to the extent the CiCy may own the power utility providing
electrical power in the City
(e) ~?.~o~CATZONS OH TIL~COMMU~ICATZONS 8ERVICgS~ Ail
services of any'nature, offered for sale by the Telephone Co~pany
to subscribers in the City, which services are delivered to such
subscribers by transmission, between or among points not
specified by the Telephone Company, of information, voice or
otherwise, not chosen, created, or offered for distribution by
the Telephone Co~pany, transmitted without change in form or
content of the informatlon as sent and received, whlch
transmission ~s offered for sale by the Telephone Con, any 1n the
City, whlch services are provided in whole or part in the City
to any customers of any type whatsoever "Telecommunications"
and "Telecommunications Services" do not 1nclude such services as
cable services, as defined ~n the Cable Communications Pollcy Act
of 1984 (47 U S.C A § 521, et seq , amended) or as recognized by
the Federal Communlcatlons Commlsslon or any other servlce
wherein content ~s selected for distrlbutlon by the Telephone
(f) T~L~RON~ COMPANYz GTE Southwest Incorporated
(g) T~AN~M/S~IONM~DIAz Ail Telephone Company cables, fibers,
wires or other physical devices used to transmit and/or receive
communication signals, whether analog, digital or of other
characteristics, and whether for voice, v~deo, or data or other
purposes, which are physically located ~n the City Rights-of-Way
~ONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF TELEPRON~ P~%/~T
AND SERVICE
(a) Pursuant to the laws of the State of Texas and this
Ordinance, the Telephone Co~any has the non-exclusive r~ght and
prmvmlege to use and occupy the publmc rmghts-of-way mn the City
for the purpose of mamntamnmng and operatmng mrs Transmmssmon
Medma used mn the provmsion of Telecommunmcatmons Servmces and
the operation of a telecommunmcatmons system, subject to the
terms, condltmons, and stlpulatmons set forth in thms Ordmnance,
the Constmtutlons and laws of the Unmted States and the State of
Texas and the Cmty's Charter and Ordmnances to the extent such
Ordinances are not in conflict herewith The Telephone Company
ms not authorxzed to provide cable televmsmon servmce as a cable
operator, as that term is defined mn the Cable Communmcatmons
Polmcy Act of 1984, mn the City without obtamnlng a separate
franchise from the Cmty The Telephone Company's Facilities and
Transmmssion Medxa used in or incmdent to the provxslon of
Telecommunmcat~ons Services and to the maintenance of a
telecommunmcations business by the Telephone C~any in the City
shall remamn as now constructed, subject to such changes as under
the conditmons prescribed in this Ordinance may be consmdered
necessary to the publmc health and safety by the City mn the
exercmse of mrs lawful polmce powers and such changes and
extensmons as may be considered necessary by the Telephone
Company in the pursuit of its telecommunmcatmons bus~ness The
Telephone Co~any shall at all tmmes during the term of thms
Ordmnance be subject to all lawful exercise of the polmce power
by the Cmty and to such reasonable and lawful regulatmon as the
City shall hereafter by charter, resolutmon or ordinance provide
The terms of th~s Ordinance shall apply throughout the City and
5 1018961533
shall apply to all the Telephone Company's Facilities used, in
whole or part, in the provision of Telecommunications Services,
and shall include the provision of Telecommunications Services in
any newly annexed areas of the City upon the effective date of
such annexation or the date the City provides the Telephone
Company notice of such annexation, whichever occurs later The
Telephone Company shall maintain Its Faclllt~es in a reasonable
operating condition at all normal t~mes during the term or any
extension of this Ordinance An exception to this condition is
automatically in effect when service furnished by the Telephone
C~m~any is interrupted, impaired or prevented by fires, strikes,
riots, or other occurrences beyond the control of the Telephone
Company, or by storms, floods, or other casualties, in any of
which events the Telep~ne Co~any shall do all things reasonably
within its power to do to restore normal service as soon as
practicable
(b) Facilities Installed or relocated by the Telephone Company
in the Rights-of-Way during the term of this Ordinance shall be
located underground where technologically and economically
feasible If technologically unfeasible, or if placement of
faclllt~es underground presents an undue economlc burden on
Telephone Company, upon proof thereof being presented to the
City, Telephone Company and City w~ll jointly agree to
alternative installation of relocation options
6 1018961533
~ SUPZRVISION BY CITY OF LOCATION OF POLES AND
CONDUITS
(a) The Telephone Company shall lay, maintain, construct,
operate, and replace its poles, wires, anchors, cables, manholes,
conduits, and appurtenances used, in whole or part, to provide
Telecommunications Services so as to interfere as little as
possible wlth traffic and shall promptly clean up and restore, at
its sole cost, all thoroughfares and other surfaces which it may
disturb to as good a condition as before such dIsturbance The
location of all Telephone Company Fac~l~tles shall be fixed under
the supervision of the City's governing body or an authorized
committee or agent appointed by sa~d governlng body Ail poles
to be placed shall be of sound material and reasonably straIght,
and all poles, stubs, guys, anchors, and other above ground
facilities shall be so set that they will not interfere with the
flow of water in or to any gutter or dra~n, and so that the same
will interfere as l~ttle as practicable with the ordinary travel
on the streets, alleys, highways, public thoroughfares, public
utility easements, public ways or sidewalks and so that they will
not compromise public safety The C~ty shall have the r~ght to
require the Telephone Con. any, at its own expense, to ~nstall or
relocate above-ground Facilities as far from vehIcular travel
lanes as reasonably possible for traffic safety purposes Except
as provided in ~ection 2(b), the City shall also have the right
to require the Telephone Company, at its own expense, to install
underground all new Facilities except those to which above-ground
access is necessary for normal maintenance and connections,
7 - 1018961533
without claim for reimbursement or damages against the City The
location and route of all poles, stubs, guys, anchors, condu~ts,
cables and any other Fac~l~tles to be placed and constructed by
the Telephone Company ~n the City R~ghts-of-Way, and the location
of all conduits to be laid by the Telephone Company within the
City's Rights-of-Way under this Ordinance, shall be subject to
the reasonable and proper regulation, control and d~rectlon of
the City's governing body or of any City, C~ttee, 4epare-ent
or official to whom such dutxes have been or may be delegated
(b) The City shall have the right to change the grade, mnstall,
relocate, or widen the publxc streets, sxdewalks, bikeways,
alleys, public thoroughfares, highways, landscapxng, and publmc
way and places w~thln the present l~m~ts of the City and within
said limits as same may from time to time be extended, and in
such events the Telephone C~mpany shall relocate, at its own
expense, xts Facilltxes and Transmxss~on Media, ~n order to
accommodate the installation, relocation, widenxng, or changxng
of the grade of any such public street, sidewalk, bikeway, alley,
public thoroughfare, highway or publxc ways, including if
necessary relocating such Facilities and Transm~ssxon Med~a a
sufficient distance from the edge of the pavement to permit a
reasonable work area for machinery and ~ndmvmduals engaged in
installing, relocating, widening, or changing the grade of any
-- 8 - 1018961.533
publmc street, sidewalk, bmkeway, alley, publmc thoroughfare,
highway or publmc way
(c) The City shall have rmght to lay, and permmt to be laid,
sewer, gas, water, electrmc, and othe~ pmpelmnes or cables or
condumts, and to do and permit to be done any underground and
overhead mnstallatlon or mmprovement that may be deemed necessary
or proper by the governmng body of the City mn, across, along,
over or under any City Rights-of-Way occupmed by the Telephone
Company, and to change any curb or smdewalk or the grade of any
street In permmttmng such work to be done, the City shall not
be liable to the Telephone Co~mny for any damage so caused, nor
shall the City be liable to the Telephone Con. any for any damages
armsmng out of the performance by the City or its contractors or
subcontractors not willfully and unnecessarily occasioned,
provided, however, nothing herein shall relmeve any other person
or corporation from liabilmty for damages to facllitmes of the
Telephone C~mny, mncluding the City's contractors and
subcontractors. The City shall also have the right to requmre
the Telephone C~any to relocate, at the sole expense of the
Telephone C~mny, any Facilities erected or maintained in City
Rmghts-of-Way, mf samd relocatmon ms deemed necessary by the
governing body or its designated representative for traffic
safety purposes, Including traffic smgnals Whenever by reason
of changes mn the grade of a thoroughfare or mn the location or
manner of constructing a water pipe, gas pipe, sewer, or other
aboveground or underground structure, it is deemed necessary by
the City to remove, alter, change, adapt, or conform the
underground or aboveground Facilities of the Telephone Company,
the Telephone Company shall make the alterations as soon as
practicable when ordered in writing by the City without claim for
reimbursement or damages against the City
(d) Whenever it becomes necessary to require Telephone Co~any
to relocate or remove Facilities, for the completion of public
works projects or for reasons of public safety, the City will
inform the Telephone Co~any in writing of the aforementioned
requirement Except in cases of an emergency, the City will
provide at least ten (10) days' written notice to Telephone
Company of the recl~lrement to relocate or remove said Facilities
Whenever it shall be necessary to require Telephone C~mpany to
alter, change, adapt, or conform its Facilities w~thin the
Rights-of-Way, such alterations or changes shall be made
promptly, with consideration given to the magnitude of such
alterations or changes, w~thout claxm for reimbursement or
damages against the City. If any such requirements impose a
financial hardship upon the Telephone Company, the Telephone
Company shall have the right to present alternative proposals to
the City, and the City shall give due consideration to any such
alternative proposals If the City requzres the Telephone
Company to adapt or conform mrs Facmlltmes to enable any other
entity or person, except the City (as described ~n Section 3{c)
above), to use, or to use wmth greater convenmence, R~ghts-of-Way
or public property, Telephone Company shall not be required to
make any such changes until such other entity or person shall
reimburse or make arrangements satisfactory to Telephone Company
to rexmburse the Telephone Company for any loss and expense
caused by or arlsmng out of such change, provided, however, that
· n no event shall the City be liable for such reimbursement
(e) Nothmng in this Ordmnance ms intended to add to or detract
from any authority granted by federal or state law to the City or
the Telephone C~any
~ ATTACHMENTS TO POLES AND SPACI IN DUCTS
(a) As partial compensation for the use of the City's Rmghts-of-
Way, the Telephone Ccm~any shall permmt the City to use, wmthout
charge, solely for its own, non-commercial purposes, available
duct space within one duct mn all of the Telephone Coa~any's
exxstmng ducted Facilmtles within the City lmmits, upon written
request by the City, mf such duct space ms avamlable when
requested Alternatively, Telephone Company shall provide Cmty
wmth space on existing telephone poles for the City's use,
w~thout charge, solely for ~ts own, non-commercial purposes, ~f
such pole space is available when requested The City shall not
use any facilities which are provided for the City's use by the
Telephone Company for power transmission purposes, nor use any
c~rcults in such conduits or upon such poles to carry voltage ~n
excess of one hundred thirty (130) volts for signal purposes, nor
otherwise use any such clrcults so as to unreasonably ~nterfere
with Telephone Company's Telecommunications Services or Telephone
Company Facilities.
(b) The City shall not sell, lease or otherwise make available
· ts rights to use Telephone Com%~amy's Facilities to any third
party Such r~ghts are provided solely for the non-commercial
exclusive use by the City However, this restriction shall not
prevent the City from using the services of a third party
commercial entity to manage or operate the City's facilities on
behalf of the City so long as no resale or other commercial use
of such facilities shall occur and so long as the third party
employed by the City ~s bound by the provisions of th~s
Ordinance.
(c) Should the'City desire to purchase or otherwise acquire
additional Facmlltles from the Telephone Company for zts non-
commerczal use, then a further separate, non-contzngent agreement
shall be a prerequisite to such purchase or acquisition
Telephone Company and City agree to act in good faith in the
negotiation of such agreement(s) with City
(d) The City may, at any time, submit written requests to the
Telephone Company for use of its Facllltmes The Telephone
Company agrees to respond mn wrmtmng to the City's requests
wmthmn thirty (30) calendar days after recemvlng the request
The City Councml shall designate one City contact person for
requests for Facllmty usage
(e) The City recognizes that the Telephone C~any cannot
reserve Facilities for the City's use at some mndefinlte time mn
the future Accordingly, the City will request the use of
Telephone C~any's Facilities only after the City has an
approved and funded constructmon plan Project constructmon by
the City must commence wlthmn smx (6) months of the Telephone
Company notmfymng the City that Facllmtles are avamlable Unless
delay is occasioned through no fault of the City, any equmpment
or facllmties of the City placed by the City on or mn Telephone
Company's Facilities must be fully operatmonal wlthmn eighteen
(18) months from the date project construction commences If
such a delay occurs, City shall take all reasonable measures to
make its equipment or facilltmes placed on or in Telephone
Company's Facilities fully operational as soon as practicable
with consideration given to the circumstances which caused the
delay
(f) Wlth regard to the City's equipment or facilities placed
or on, Telephone Company,s Facilities, the Telephone Company
shall be relieved of ~ts obl~gatlon to reserve space ~n or on ~ts
Facilities for the specific Facility if construction is not
started within slx (6) months of the Telephone Company notifying
the City that Facilities are available or if such City equipment
and facilities are not fully operational within the time limits
specified ~n Section 4(e), unless an extension of t~me is
mutually agreed upon, in writing, by both parties Upon the
City's equipment or facilities being placed in, or on, Telephone
Company's Facilities, the Telephone Co~m~any may not charge the
City an additional fee for the use of the Telephone Ccm~any's
Facilities. The City's use of Telephone C~any Facilities
extend beyond the term of this Ordinance free of charge to the
City so long as said Facilities remain In-place, but upon the
expiration of this Ordinance Telephone Company shall be under no
obligation to continue to provide, maintain or operate such
Facilities for ~he benefit of the City. The Telephone Company
will not be liable for the installation or maintenance of any
14 - 1018961533
City facilzties under thzs Ordanance or for any damage not caused
solely by the negligence of the Telephone Company
(g) The City shall clearly mark all of ars facalataes that are
placed an, or on, Telephone Company Facalataes In order to
protect the telephone service to the citizens of the City, the
City agrees that all constructaon by the City an, or on,
Telephone Come, any Facilaties wall be an accordance wath
Telephone Come, any standards and procedures and any applicable
City Codes or Ordanances The Telephone C~m~any shall have the
right to make on-site inspections durlng construction by the
City In the event the City, in making its facilities
operational, encounters any situation that might impact Telephone
Co~any,e communication service to the citizens of the City, the
City shall stop construction and notify the Telephone C~any
ammediately
(h) Except as otherwise provided in Sectlon 4(e) above, the
Telephone C~m~any may deny the City's request for use of
Telephone C~m~mny Facilities only af the Telephone Company has
plans to use th~ requested Facilities by installing
telecommunications equipment no later than two (2) years from the
date of the City's request In the event that the Telephone
Company denies the City's request, the Telephone Company must
- 15 [018961533
show the City its current englneer~ng plans that demonstrate that
the Telephone Com~A~any will use the requested Facilities for
Telecommunlcat~ons Services within two (2) years
(1) The Telephone Company is not authorized to license or lease
to any person or entity the right to occupy or use the City's
Rights-of-Way for the conduct of any private business except to
the extent required by law The Telephone Cc~apany w~ll, from
t~me to time, upon written request from the City provide to the
City the names of resellers of telecommunication services uslng,
or requesting to use, Telephone Con,any Facilities The
Telephone C~ny may be required to attach ~ts Transmission
Media to facilities owned and maintained by any person or entity
authorized by the City or to permit the transmission media of any
person or entity authorized by the City to be attached to the
Facilities owned and maintained by the Telephone Coca, any upon
reasonable, non-dxscrlminatory terms in a separate, non-
contingent agreement which shall include reasonable compensation
The Telephone Co=~any may require any such person or entity to
furnish evidence of adequate insurance covering the Telephone
Company and adequate bonds covering the performance of the person
or entity attaching to the Telephone Company's Facilities as a
cond~tmon precedent to granting permission to any such person or
entity to attach transmissIon media to Telephone Company's
- 16 ~0~696~533
Facilities; provided Telephone Company's requirements for such
insurance shall be reasonable and at least in an amount to meet
minimum City requirements, as determined by the City
(]) Nothing contained in this Ordinance shall obligate or
restrict the Telephone Company in exercising its rights
voluntarily to enter into pole attachment, pole usage, joint
ownership or other wire space or facilities agreements w~th light
and/or power companies or with other companies utilizing wire
transmission of services which are authorized to operate within
the City Further, nothing contained in this Ordinance shall
preempt any pole attachment agreement between the City and
Telephone Co~any wherein Telephone C~any or City agrees to pay
the other a fee to place its facilities on a utility pole owned
by the other
~F~ RI~HTS-OF-WAY TO BI RESTORED TO ~OOD CONDITION
(a) The Telephone C~m~pany shall restore the surface of any and
all Rights-of-Way within the City d~sturbed by the Telephone
Company in building, constructing, renewing, or maintaIning its
Facilities or Transmission Media within a reasonable time after
completion of the work to at least as good a condition as before
commencement of the work and in compliance with the applicable
provisions of the Code of Ordinances of the City and shall
further maintain the work to the satisfaction of the City,s
- 17 - 1018961533
governing body, or of any City official to whom such duties have
been or may be delegated, for a per~od of one (1) year following
completion of the restoration, after which time responsibility
for the maintenance shall revert to the City During that one
(1) year per~od, the Telephone Company shall be responsible for
all maintenance costs ~ncurred as a result of any defects,
lmpa~rments or substandard cond~tlon in the Rights-of-Way caused
by the construction, maintenance or restoration work of the
Telephone C~m~mny The Telephone C~m~mny shall comply with all
reasonable rules and regulations of the City relative to street
excavations, and permits therefor, provided that Telephone
Company shall not be required to pay any fees required by such
rules, regulations and permits No such Rights-of-Way shall
encumbered for a longer perzod than shall be necessary to execute
the work
(b) The Telephone Company shall submit, zn a format prescribed
by City and reasonably related to the purpose here stated,
znformatlon descrlbzng the general nature, locatzon, and
estimated duration of any activity which wzll result zn the
dzsturbance of any Rights-of-Way The Telephone C~mpany shall
not be required'to divulge proprzetary information in such
submlsszon Proprzetary information may znclude, but ls not
lzmlted to, type and szze of Facllzty and sub-routes onto przvate
property This information shall be submztted prior to the
activity except in the case of emergencies, ~n which case the
lnformatlon shall be submltted as soon as practical This
information requirement shall not apply to the Telephone
Company's lnstallat~on of service wires serving a single
residence or business When the Telephone Company shall make or
cause to be made excavations, or shall place obstructions in any
street, alley, highway, public thoroughfare, public utility
easement or public way, the Telephone Com~mny shall protect the
public by barriers and lights placed, erected and maintained by
the Telephone Company
~ TEMPORARY R~MOVAL OF AERIAL WIRE~
The Telephone Company on the request of any person shall remove
or raise or lower its wires within the City temporarily to permit
the moving of houses or other bulky structures The expense of
such temporary removal, raising or lowering of w~res shall be
paid by the benefitted party or parties, and the Telephone
Company may require such payment ~n advance The Telephone
Company shall be given not less than forty-eight (48) hours
advance notice to arrange for such temporary wire changes The
clearance of wires above ground shall conform to the basic
standards of th~ National Electrical Safety Code, National Bureau
of Standards, Un,ted States Department of Commerce, as
promulgated at the time of erection thereof
~ TREZ T~I~MING
In the pursuit of maintaining its telecommunlcat~ons system, the
Telephone Company, its contractors, agents, successors and
assigns shall have the right to tr~m trees upon and overhanging
the Rights-of-Way w~than the City, so as to prevent the branches
of such trees from coming in contact with the wires, cables, or
other Facalatles of the Telephone Company
~ COMPENSATION TO THE CITY
(a) As compensation for the Telephone Company's use and
occupancy of the City's Rights-of-Way and for the City's
oversight, regulatlon and supervision of such use and occupancy,
an consideratLon for all other agreements and promises made
herein by the City and ~n l~eu of and ~n full compensation for
any lawful tax, license, charge, raght-of-way permlt fee or
Inspection fee, whether charged to the Telephone Co~pany or at
contractor(s), or any r~ght-of-way easement or street or alley
rental or corporate franchise tax or other character of charge
for the use and occupancy of the Right-of-Way wathan the City,
excep~ the usual general ad valorem taxes and special assessments
in accordance with State law, and sales taxes now or hereafter
levied by the C~ty and an accordance with State law, the City
hereby imposes upon the Telephone Con, any and the Telephone
Company agrees to pay a fee upon each Access Lane ("Access Lane
Fee"), which shall be assessed monthly upon all Access Lines an
- 20 101096~53~
the City and whmch shall be paid quarterly as described in
Sectlon~(b) here~n. The Access L~ne Fee shall be $1.&2 per
month (for a total of $]7_0~ for such twelve month period) for
each residential Access Lmne, and $ 2.00 per month (for a total
of $.24.00 for such twelve month period) for each busmness
Access Line The Access Line Fee will be prorated based upon the
number of days during the billing month the customer has service
(b) The amount paid to the City will equal the aggregate amount
of Access Line Fees assessed to the Telephone C~any according
to the method described above through the end of each calendar
quarter The payment due dates shall be February 28, May 31,
August 31, and November 30 of each Contract Year this Ordinance
remains in effect The first payment under this Ordinance shall
be due on May 31, 1997
(c) If the Ordinance ~s mutually extended in writing for an
additional five years, the Access L~ne fee w~ll be increased by
three (3) percent per year above the prior year's Access L~ne fee
on each annlversary of the effective date Except as otherwise
provided herein, the City waives any right to audit or otherwise
review any Telephone Co~p&ny records
(d) The Telephone Company and the City agree that the accuracy
of the Access Line count ~s important to both parties To
satisfy any audit responsibilities the C~ty may have, the
- 21 - ~0~896~533
Telephone Company agrees to provide the City a reconc~llatlon
report of Access Lxnes and a Customer Servxce Address List. which
report and list shall be in a format and in sufficient detail to
enable the City to verify the accuracy of the calculation of the
Access Line count and type of local access service (e g , smngle
party residence line, ISDN lmne or PABX trunk) provided to
customers located in the City The parties agree to llmxt
Telephone Ccm~any's responsibxl~ty to produce such reports to two
occasions during the term of this Ordinance One such occasion
shall occur during the third year of the Ordxnance City
reserves the right to determine the other occasion for which such
~nformation shall be made available by Talaphon. C~any for
· nspectxon City agrees to provide reasonable notice beforehand
of each such request for inspection The parties contemplate
that reports produced by Telephone Company will be as of
September 30th of the year ~n which ~nspect~on is requested The
Telephone Company will provide a report containxng a summary of
residence and bus~ness Access Lines within the City and the gross
amount of Access Line Fees billed customers with each quarterly
remxttance The report shall include the number of Access Lines
as of the end of each month in the calendar quarter being
reported, as such data is maintained in Telephone Company's
REVUNIT database, or any successor database The Customer
Service Address List shall not include any customer names or
telephone numbers If the City becomes aware of information that
- 22 10189~1533
affects the accuracy of such Lmst, City shall promptly mnform the
Telephone Company, and Telephone Company shall revmew such
mnformatmon and, on vermfmcatmon, correct the Customer Servmce
Address Lmst, and Access Line count City accepts and agrees
that the Customer Servmce Address Lmst and Access Lmne count are
proprmetary and the exclusive property of the Telephone Company,
and agrees to return both the Customer Service Address List and
Access Line count report, and any data copmed or taken therefrom
in any form, to the Telephone C~m~any wlthmn sixty days of its
recempt of such Lmst or report, unless such tmme ms extended by
the written agreement of the parties As the Customer Service
Address List ms the exclusmve property of the Telephone Co~pany,
the City agrees not to release any mnformatmon contamned mn that
Lmst to anyone unless ordered to do so by a court of competent
jurisdiction
(e) The compensatmon provided for here~n constitutes reasonable
compensatmon for the consxderatmon granted to the Telephone
Company here~n
(f) Payment of the "Annual Fee" shall not relmeve the Telephone
Co~any from paymng all applicable munmcmpally-owned utmlmty
servmce charges, ad valorem and sales taxes adopted by the city
(g) In the event that either (1) territory within the boundaries
of the City shall be dlsannexed and a new Incorporated
municipality created which includes such territory or (2)
territory shall be consolidated or annexed Into the City, then
notwithstanding any other provision of this Ordinance, the Annual
Fee shall be adjusted, effective on the effective date of the
annexation To accomplish this adjustment, within sixty (60)
days following the action effectlng a dlsannexatlon/annexatlon as
described above, the City shall provide the Telephone C~m~mny
with maps of the affected area(s) showing the new boundaries of
the City If the City falls to timely provide the maps of the
affected areas, then the fees from such additional Access Lanes
wall not become payable to City until sixty (60) days after
receipt by TZL~PHON~ COMPANY of such maps from the City
(h) In the event of an annexation or dlsannexatlon as described
above, the Annual Fee paid to the City will be adjusted based on
the City's gain or loss of Access Lanes ~slng the same
methodology prescribed an section The effective date
of the adjustment shall be the same as the effective date of the
annexation/disannexatlon action by the City, provided that the
City has supplied the appropriate annexatlon/dlsannexatlon maps
to the Telephone Co~any an accordance with the provisions
herein. The City agrees to reimburse the Telephone Cool, any for
any portion of any Armual Fee that may have been paid to the City
24 - 1018961533
after the effective date of a dls~nnexatlon but prior to the
receipt by Telephone Con, any from City of notice of such
dlsannexat~on
(1) In the event a regulatory agency of the State, or court of
competent jurisdiction f~nds that the Access Line ~
compensation methodology contained in Sectlon~(a~f~t~s
Ordinance is invalid or unenforceable, then for the remainder of
the term of this Ordinance or until such time as the parties
agree to another compensation methodology, whichever occurs
first, Telephone a~m~mny agrees to pay annual compensation under
this Ordinance to Cl~y in an amount equal to the total of the
previous four quarterly payments, such compensation to be paid in
quarterly installments and if necessary prorated from the date of
such Order of the regulatory agency or court
~ SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS
The rights, powers, limitations, duties and restrictions here~n
provided for shall inure to and be binding upon the parties
hereto and upon their respective legal and bona fide
representatives, successors and assigns
~ ~ERIOD OF A~REEM~NT
This agreement shall be in full force and effect for the period
beginning w~th the effective date hereof and ending five {5)
years after such date Th~s Ordinance may be extended for an
additional five (5) years if mutually agreed to ~n writing by
both part~es and such extension is approved by the City in
accordance w~th the City's Charter
~ FUTURE CONTINGENCIZS
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Ordinance to the
contrary, ~n the event that th~s Ordinance or any section,
sentence, clause, phrase, or part thereof, providing any
compensation due the City under this Ordinance, becomes, is held
to be, or ~s declared or determined by judicial, administrative
or legislative authority exercising ~ts jurisdiction to be
excessive, unrecoverable, unenforceable, void, unconstitutional,
unlawful, ~nval~d or otherwise ~nappl~cable, in whole or in part,
the Telephone C~any and the City shall meet and negotiate ~n
good faith to obtain a new ordinance that is in compliance with
the author~ty's decision or enactment and ~n which the Telephone
Company shall pay to City a reasonable but constitutional and
valid compensation
~ 6K)V~P. NINGLAWANDVEN~E.
(a) This Ordinance shall be construed in accordance with the law
of the State of Texas and the City Charter and City Ordinances in
effect on the date of passage of this Ordinance to the extent
that such Charter and Ordinances are not in conflict w~th or in
violation of the Constitution and laws of the Unlted States or of
the State of Texas
(b) Venue for any dispute arising under this Agreement shall be
in Denton County, Texas
(c) This Ordinance shall be construed and deemed to have been
negotlated at arms length and drafted by the combined efforts of
the City and the Telephone Company
~ DISPUTI P. ESOLUTION
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Ordinance, the
PartLee hereto agree that any claim, cause of action or other
dispute based upon or arising out of this Ordinance (a "dispute")
shall be conducted, decided, determined and/or resolved pursuant
to and ~n accordance with the provisions of th~s Section The
parties desire to resolve disputes arising out of this Ordinance
without litigation Accordingly, in the event of any dispute
hereunder, the Parties hereto agree to attempt in good faith to
resolve their dispute between themselves Within ten (10) days
after receipt of the wrLtten request of a party, each party will
appoint a knowledgeable, responsible representative or
representatives to meet and negotiate in good falth to resolve
any dispute arising under this Ordinance The parties'
representatives w~ll meet wlthLn ten {10) days after the
appointment of such representatives and negotiate in good faith
to resolve any such dispute
- 27 1018961533
(b) Except for action seeking a temporar~ restraining order or
in]unction related to the purposes of this Ordinance, or su~t to
compel compliance w~th this d~spute resolution process, the
parties agree to use the following alternative dispute resolution
procedure, and also agree not to sue any party to this Ordinance
w~th respect to controversy or claim arising out of or relating
to this Ordinance or its breach prior to exhausting the
procedures set out in this section
(c) If the partmes are unable to settle themr dispute at the
meetmng of representatmves provmded for an subsectmon (a), emther
party may, on written notice to the other party, mnmtmate non-
bmndmng medmatmon of the dispute before a smngle mediator
affllmated wlth Judlcial Arbltratlon and MediatIon Servmces, Inc
(JAMS) or another medmation servmce mutually agreeable to the
partmes. Medmation Ks a forum in which an impartial person, the
mediator, facilitate communication between the Part~es to promote
reconciliation, settlement, or understanding among them A
mediator may not impose his own judgment on the issues for that
of the part~es. Unless expressly authorIzed by the parties, the
mediator may not disclose to either party ~nformat~on given ~n
confidence by the other and shall at all times maintain
confidentiality with respect to communications relating to the
subject matter of the dispute Unless the parties agree
otherwmse, all matters, Including the conduct and demeanor of the
parties and their counsel during mediation, are confidential and
shall be ~nadmisslble as settlement d~scuss~on pursuant to Rule
- 28 1018961533
408 of the Federal Rules of Evidence or the applicable state
rules The mediator shall be selected by agreement of the
parties within thlrty (30) days after either party f~rst requests
mediation of the other If a single mediator cannot be agreed
upon, then each party shall select its own mediator from those on
the JAMS approved l~st, those two mediators will then select a
third independent mediator who will conduct the mediation
session(s) The mediator's fees will be borne equally by both
parties In the event mediation is requested, any applicable
statutes of limitations shall be automatically tolled until the
mediator declares an impasse If either party desires to request
the production of ~nformat~on for ~ts use ~n the mediation, ~t
shall deliver such request to the other party w~thin f~ve (5)
days of the selection of the mediator Any objection to such
production shall be delivered to the mediator and the requesting
party within five days of receipt of the request, and the
mediator shall issue an opinion within five (5) days of such
ob]ectlon, as to whether the lnformat~on is relevant to the
issues presented for mediation and should be produced If either
party refuses to proceed with the mediation ~n accordance with
the r~llng of the mediator, the mediation shall be deemed to be
at impasse, and the parties may then resort to any other
available recourse In the event mediation occurs but falls to
resolve the dispute, the parties may then resort to means outside
the scope of this Section including filing suit
- 29 - ~0~896~533
(d) Nemther the City nor the ~elephone Company by accepting this
0rdlnance wamves mrs rmght to seek all appropriate legal and
equitable remedmes as allowed by law upon vmolatmon of the terms
of this 0rdmnance by the other party, including seeking
injunctive re~!ef in a court of competent ]urmsd~ct~on Such
rmght to seek ln]unctmve relmef ms expressly reserved and all
terms and provisions hereof shall be enforceable through
mn]unctmve relmef
~ ~OV~P~NTAL IMMUNITY.
Ail of the regulatmons provided in thms Ordinance are hereby
declared to be for a publmc purpose and the health, safety, and
welfare of the general public Any member of the governing body
or City offmcmal or employee charged with the enforcement of thms
0rdlnance, acting for the City mn the discharge of his duties,
shall not thereby render hmmself personally lmable, and he ms
hereby relmeved from all personal llabmlmty for any damage that
might accrue to persons or property as a result of any act
required or permmtted in the dmscharge of his samd dutmes
~ ~P~%NTING POWER
(a) The City contmnues to take the posmtmon that the City has
the power to gr~nt or deny consent to the Telephone Com~any,s
occupancy and use of the Rmghts-Of-Way wmth~n the City The
Telephone Co.any contmnues to take the posztlon that Federal law
- 30 -
1018961533
and Texas law do not permmt the City to deny consent to the
Telephone Company to occupy and use such Rmghts-Of-Way Both the
City and the Telephon~ Company agree that themr actmons in
entermng th~s agreement by ordmnance shall not mn any way be a
waiver of e~ther party's posmtmon as stated here~n
(b) Nothmng in this sectmon affects the authority of the City to
manage the public Rights-Of-Way or to require a fair and
reasonable compensation from all telecommunmcatlons providers, on
a competmtmvely neutral and nondiscriminatory basks, and the
compensatxon will be publmcly dmsctosed by the City
~ REPEAL OF CONFLICTING PROVISIONS
Ail other ordmnances and agreements and parts of agreements and
ordmnances mn conflict with the provmsmons of this Ordinance are
hereby repealed to the extent of such xnconsmstency
For any purposes related to this Ordmnance, notmce to the City
shall be to.
Office of Cmty Manager/Secretary
Cmty of Denton
215 E McKmnney
Denton, TX 76201
Notmce to the Telephone Co~any shall be to
- 31
Associate General Counsel
GTE Southwest Incorporated
P O Box 152013
Irving, TX 75062
Notice will be effective upon delivery at the above addresses
until the City or the Telephone Company notifies the other, in
writing, of a change of address
~ PARTIAL INVALIDITY AND REPEAL PROVISIONS
If any section, sentence, clause or phrase in this Ordinance is
for any reason held to be Illegal, ultra vires,
unconstitutional, void, or unenforceable such invalidity shall
not affect the validity of the remaining portzons, it being the
Intent of the City in adopting this Ordinance and the Telephone
Company in accepting and agreeing to it that no portzon hereof or
provision hereof shall be inoperative or fail by reason of any
unconstitutionality or invalidity or any other portion,
provision, or regulation, and to this end, all provisions of this
Ordinance are declared to be severable This Ordinance shall be
and is hereby declared to be cumulative of all other ordinances
of the City, and this Ordinance shall not operate to repeal or
affect any of such other ordinances except insofar as the
provisions thereof might be Inconsistent or in conflict with the
provisions of this Ordinance, in which event such conflicting
provisions, if any, in such other ordinance or ordinances are
hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency All
ordinances and agreements and parts of ordinances and agreements
in conflict herewith are hereby repealed to the extent of such
32 - 1018961533
inconsistency Provided all other ordinances, rules,
regulations, and agreements which are not in conflict with this
Ordinance and which in any manner relate to the regulation of the
City streets, alleys, and public places or the business of the
Telephone Company shall remain in full force and effect
~ EFFECTIV~ DATE AND ACCEPTANCE OF AGREEMENT
The Telephone Co~apany shall have sixty (60) days from and after
the passage and approval of this Ordinance to file its written
acceptance thereof with the City Secretary Upon such filing,
th~s Ordinance shall take effect and the effective date of th2s
Ordinance shall be January 1, 1997, and it shall be in force from
and after such date, and shall effectuate and make b~ndlng the
agreement provided by the terms hereof Ail costs of any
publication required by law shall be at the expense of the
Telephone Company in addition to other charges provided for
herein
~ TI1ANSFZR OR ASSI~MENT
This Ordinance shall not be transferred or assigned by the
Telephone Company except with the approval of the governing body
of the City expressed by ordinance and subject to all terms of
such ordinance, which shall not be unreasonably withheld
- 33 ~0~896~533
~ OP~B~TIN~
It Is hereby offlclally found and determined that the meeting at
which this Ordinance is passed is open to the pubhc as required
by law and that public notice of the t~me, place and purpose of
said meeting was given as required
PASSED and APPROVED by the City Council of the City of
~nton, Tex. s, this /gr--d.y of ~Z~&~--__, A ~
~RO~ ~ ~ ~
The City, acting herein by ~ts duly constltuted authorlt~es,
hereby declares the foregoing Ordinance passed on first reading
and finally effective (if a general law city) as of this /~
day of ~ , 19~__
' Council ~ember
er
· Councll Membe~
The above and foregoing ordinance read, adopted on first reading
and passed to second reading by the following votes, th~s the
5th day of NOVEMBER , 19 96 , at a reg~/lar
session of the City Council
JACK MILLER Mayor, voting AYE
EULINE BROCK Council Member voting AYE
RONI BEASLEY Council Member voting AYE
CARL YOUNG Council Member voting AYE
JEFF KRUEGER Councll Member voting AYE
DAVID BILES Council Member voting AYE
JERRY COTT Council Member voting AYE
The above and foregoing ordinance read, adopted on second reading
and passed to third reading by the following votes, th~s the
- 35 ~0~896~
19th day of NOVEMBER , 19 96 , at a regular
session of the City Council
JACK MILLER Mayor, voting AYE
EULINE BROCK Council Member voting AYE
RONI BEASLEY Council Member voting AYE
CARL YOUNG Council Member voting AYE
JERRY COTT Council Member voting AYE
JEFF KRUEGER Council Member voting AYE
DAVID BILES Council Member voting AYE
The~above and foregoing ordinance read, adopted on third read~_3~g
and~l~sed by the following votes, this the day
~ , 19 , , at a regular session of~.~Se City
M ~D~o.r, vot ~ng
/ Council Me.er, voting
Council Me~er, voting
STATE OF TEXAS §
§
COUNTY OF DENTON §
I, JENNIFER WALTERS , City
Secretary of the City of Dent~n, Texas, do hereby certify that
the above and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the right-
of-way rental agreement between the City of Denton, Texas, and
GTE Southwest Incorporated as indicated herein The same is now
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Denton, Texas, dld
on the /~'~ day of .~1_ ~ , 19 ~ . enact an Ordinance
entmtled
AN ORDINANCE ~EREBY T~E CX~ OF DE~ON, TE~, ~ GTE
SO~EST INCORPO~TED AGREE T~T, FOR T~E P~POSE OF
OPE~TING ITS TELECO~I~TIONS BUSINESS, THE
T~LEPHO~ CO~ S~L CONSTRUCT, ERECT, BUILD, EQUIP,
O~, ~I~AIN ~ OPE~TE IN, ~ONG, ~ER, O~R ~
ACROSS, ~E STREETS, A~S, ~LEYS, BRIDGES,
VI~UCTS, ~ P~LIC GRO~S OF ~E CI~, SUCH POSTS,
POLES, WIRES, ~LES, CO~UITS ~ O~ER APPLI~CES,
STRUC~S ~ FIX~ES ~CESS~Y OR CO~NIE~ FOR
RE~ITION OF TELECO~I~TIONS SERVICES IN SAID CI~
~ FOR CO~UCTING A GE~ LO~ ~ ~NG-DIST~CE
TELEPHO~ BUSI~SS; P~SCRIBING ~E CO~ITIONS
~ING THE USE OF P~LIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY FOR ~E
~LEPHO~ CO~' S TELECO~I ~TIONS BUS I~SS,
PRESCRIBING THE QU~TE~Y COMPENSATION D~ ~E CI~
~ER THIS O~IN~CE, PROVIDING ~E RIGHT OF ~E CI~
TO USE CERTAIN FACILITIES OF THE ~LEPHO~ CO~;
SPECIFYING ~IN~ ~WS, PROVIDING FOR ~SIG~,
P~SCRIBING ~E TE~ ~ EFFECTI~ DATE OF SAID
AGREEME~; PROVIDIN~ FOR NOTICE; PROVIDING FOR BI~ING
EFFECT, PROVIDING ~T ~E O~IN~CE BE ~TI~,
PROVIDING FOR ~~ I~ITY, PROVIDING FOR
CONSE~ ~ ACCEPT~CE, PROVIDING FOR S~ILI~,
PROVIDING FOR ~OICE OF ~W ~ ~, PROVIDING FOR
FI~ING ~ DETE~INING ~T THE MEETING AT ~I~ ~IS
O~IN~CE IS P~SED IS OPEN TO THE P~LIC ~ REQUIRED
BY ~W, PROVIDIN~ FOR ~ CO~INGENCIES, PROVIDING
FOR REP~ OF CO~LICTING O~IN~CES, PROVIDING FOR
REL~E OF ~L C~IMS ~ER PRIOR O~IN~CES, PROVIDING
FOR ~TE~ATE DISP~E RESOL~ION, ~ PROVIDING FOR
METHOD OF ACCEPT~CE;
and
~sald Ordinance was on the /~ day of
, 1996, duly approved by the Mayor of samd
City and the seal of samd City was thereto affmxed and attested
by the City Sec~eta~,
NOW THEREFORE, , GTE Southwest Inco~orated hereby mn all
respects accepts, approves, and agrees to said Ordinance, and
same shall constmtute and be a bmndmng contractual obllgatmon of
GTE Southwest, Inc and of the City without waiver of any other
remedy by GTE Southwest, Inc or the City and fmles thms its
1018961533
recorded as Ordinance No. 96-253 in the Ordinance Records of the
City of Denton, Texas.
WITNESS MY HAND this the 5th day of December, 1996
(Seal)
37 -
written acceptance with the City Secretary of the City of Denton,
Texas, ~n h~s off~ce.
Acceptance flledlln the office of the,City Secretary of Denton,
Texas, this /~' day of ,~_~ ~ , A D 19F~
~ / City Secretary
2 1018961533
NO 95-50259-367
GTE SOUTHWEST INCORPORATED, § IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF
a Delaware Corporation, §
Plaintiff, §
VS § DENTON COUNTY, TEXAS
THE CITY OF DENTON, A TEXAS §
INCORPORATED MUNICIPALITY, §
et a~, §
Defendant § 367TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
NO 95-5-00360
CITY OF RUSK, et al, § IN THE 2D JUDICIAL
Plaintiffs, §
v § DISTRICT COURT OF
GTE SOUTHWEST, INC , §
Defendant § CHEROKEE COUNTY, TEXAS
PUC DOCKET NO 14152
SOAH DOCKET NO 473-95-1002
COMPLAINT OF CiTY OF DENTON, § PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
ET AL AGAINST § OF
GTE SOUTHWEST INCORPORATED § TEXAS
ROWSET 1021961021
SE'I-I'LEMENT AGREEMENT AND RELEASE OF ALL CLAIMS
This Settlement Agreement and Release of All Claims ("Agreement") ~s entered into by
and between the City of Denton a Texas ~ncorporated munlclpahty ("C~ty"), and GTE
Southwest Incorporated, a Delaware corporation ("GTE") The C~ty and GTE are
referred to s~ngularly as a "Party" and collectively as "the Part~es"
I
THE RIGHT-OF-W/~Y LITIGATION
Section 1.1 Denton L~t~a_at~on On April 25, 1995, GTE filed an action styled
GTE Southwest Incorporated vs. C~t¥ of Denton. et al., Cause No 95-50259-367, In the
367th District Court of Denton County, Texas ("Denton Lawsuit")
Sect~oq 1,~ Rusk Litigation On May 19, 1995, several C~tles hied an acbon
styled City of Rusk. an ~ncorporated Texas mun~c~Dahty, et al. v GTE Southwest. Inc.,
Cause No 95-5-00360, ~n the D~stnct Court of Cherokee County, Texas ("Rusk
Lawsuit")
Secbon 1.3 The PUC ComDla~nt On Apnl 29, 1995, the C~bes which were
parbes to the Rusk Lawsuit filed a Complaint against GTE at the Texas Public Utility
Commission styled Complaint of City of Denton. Texas. et al. A_oa~nst GTE Southwest
IpcorDQrated, PUC Docket No 14152, SOAH Docket No 473-95-1002 ("PUC
Complaint," collectively referred to w~th the Denton Lawsuit and the Rusk Lawsuit as
the "R~ght-of-Way L~t,gat~on")
Section 1.4 The RLoht-of-Wav L~tlgat~on On ~ ~ 1996, the C~ty
Council of Denton authonzed the Mayor to settle the R~ght-of-Way L~bgat~on pursuant to
the terms outhned ~n th~s Agreement
II
CITY'S COVENANTS
Section 2.1 RLaht to ComDrom~se C~ty covenants and warrants that ~t has the
right to compromise all claims asserted ~n the R~ght-of-Way Litigation as to Denton, the
Mayor is authorized to bind the C~ty by executing this Agreement on its behalf, and that
it has not assigned to any third party such claims, or any part of such claims against
GTE
~ Dismissal of RLaht-of-Wav L~bgat~on City agrees to d~smlss with
prejudice any and all claims, counterclaims and causes of action It raised against GTE
in the Denton Lawsuit, the Rusk Lawsuit, and the PUC Complaint, promptly upon
execution of th~s Agreement
ROW8ET - 1 - 1021961034
III.
Section 3.1 R~ght to Compromise GTE covenants and warrants that Hardy E
White, in h~s capacity as Acting Regional President - GTE Texas/New Mexico Region,
has the authority to execute this Agreement on GTE's behalf and to bind GTE to ~ts
terms, and that GTE has not assigned to any third party such claims, or any part of
GTE's claims against the C~ty
Section 3.2 Dmm~ssal of L~t~gat~on GTE agrees to dismiss w~th prejudice any
and all claims, counterclaims and causes of action ~t ra,sed against the C~ty m the
Denton Lawsuit, the Rusk Lawsuit, and the PUC Complaint, promptly upon execution of
th~s Agreement
Section 3.3 Cash Payment W~th~n seven (7) bus~ness days of the C~ty's final
reading and enactment of the R~ght-of-Way Ordinance at Attachment "A" ("New
Ordinance") hereto, which ~s ~ncorporated ~n th~s Agreement for all purposes as ~f fully
set forth here~n, GTE w~ll pay to the C~ty the sum of $1,255,649 76 Th~s sum
comprises the following
a $205,147 00, which ~s the amount of all nght-of-way fee payments
withheld by GTE pending resolubon of the R~ght-of-Way L~t~gat~on
("Withheld Amounts") plus four percent (4%) ~nterest on such amount,
b $979,388 76, which represents a compromise of all claims related to
payment of compensation by GTE to the C~ty for use of the C~ty's nghts-
of-way from the beg~nmng of t~me to and ~nclud~ng December 31, 1996,
and
c $71,114 00, which represents advance payment of reasonable
compensation for use of the City's nghts-of-way for the period not covered
by Secbon 3 3a or b above and ending on December 31, 1996
GTE agrees not to pass through to ~ts present or future customers the interest amount
descnbed m Section 3 3a and GTE agrees that all amounts that GTE ~s authonzed to
pass through to ~ts customers under 3 3a above have already been passed through
GTE agrees not to pass through to its present or future customers the amount
descnbed in Secbon 3 3b hereof The amount ~n Secbon 3 3c above shall be passed
through to GTE's customers Jack Stowe w~ll be permitted to meet w~th a GTE-
designated representative, on or about October 16, 1996, to rewew GTE documents
confirming the W~thheld Amounts
~ Termination of Ordinance or Authority Any current or pnor
ordinance and/or authonty imposing a fee upon GTE for the use of the C~ty's nghts-of-
way shall expire on or before December 31, 1996, and shall be replaced w~th the New
ROWSET - 2 - 1021961021
Ordinance which shall take effect on January 1, 1997 The Part~es agree that the cash
payment descnbed in Section 3 3 above ~ncludes an amount which the City has
determined to be fair and reasonable compensation for GTE's use of the C~ty's nghts-
of-way dunng the penod from and ~nclud~ng the date of the last payment made by GTE
to the C~ty for use of Its rights-of-way to and ~nclud~ng the effecbve date of the New
Ordinance
IV,
NEW RIGHT-OF-WAY ORDINANCE
Secbon 4.1 New R~ght-of-Way Ordinance The C~ty and GTE agree to execute,
adopt and enact the New Ordinance If a current ordinance or charter of the C~ty
requires a ut~hty entenng ~nto an ordinance such as the New Ordinance to pay the cost
of pubhcat~on of such ordinance ~n a local newspaper, GTE agrees to pay such cost of
publication of the New Ordinance
~ CI~y'~ Er~actment of New Ordinance The C~ty agrees to pass and
enact the New Ordinance m consecutive read~ngs, as required by law, w~th the first
reading to be held on or before ~ _,~_, 1996, and w~th any and all required
readings occumng on or before ~-~3 , 1996
~ ~iTE's Accebtance of New Ordinance GTE agrees to execute and
file w~th the C~ty Secretary ~ts acceptance of the New Ordinance within fourteen (14)
bus~ness days of receipt of the executed New Ordinance after the final read~ng and
passage of the New Ordinance by the C~ty
~ ~ GTE agrees that the C~ty may set an Access
Line Fee as that term ~s defined m the New Ordinance up to $17 00 per year for each
residential Access Line and up to $24 00 per year for each bus~ness Access L~ne As
of September 30, 1996, there were 29,234 residential Access Lines and 18,399
bus~ness Access Lines ~n the C~ty of Denton The number of Access L~nes ~s subject to
change
V.
MUTUAL RELEASES AND DISMISSAL OF CLAIMS
IN RIGHT-OF-WAY LITIGATION
~ Release by C~b/ In consideration of the above, the C~ty, ~n ~ts own
behalf and on behalf of ~ts successors and assigns, hereby ~rrevocably and
uncond~bonally fully releases, acquits and d~scharges GTE Southwest Incorporated, its
successors, parent corporation, affihated and subsidiary corporations, officers,
d~rectors, employees, attorneys, representatives and agents from any and all claims
from the beg~nmng of bme up to and ~nclud~ng December 31, 1996, (a) that relate to the
payment by GTE to the C~ty of reasonable compensation for GTE's use of C~ty nghts-of-
way, whether by agreement, ord,nance or otherwtse, and (b) that relate to the pass
ROWSET ' 3 = 1021961021
through of such payments by GTE to ~ts customers, which the C~ty made or could have
made In the lawsuits styled GTE Southwest Incorporated vs. City of Denton. et al..
Cause No 95-50259-367, in the 367th D~str~ct Court of Denton County, Texas, C~ty of
Rusk. an mcorDorated Texas munlcmahty, et al. v GTE Southwest. Inc., Cause No 95-
5-00360, In the Dlstnct Court of Cherokee County, Texas, and the proceeding styled
Comulamt of C~ty of Denton. Texas. et al. Against GTE Southwest Incorporated. PUC
Docket No 14152, SOAH Docket No 473-95-1002 in the Texas Pubhc Utdlty
Commission
Sectmn 5.2; Release bv GTE In consideration of the above, GTE Southwest
Incorporated, ~n ~ts own behalf and on behalf of ~ts successors and assigns, hereby
irrevocably and uncond~bonally fully releases, acquits and discharges the City of
Denton, Texas, ~ts offm~ats, employees, representatives, attorneys and agents from any
and all claims from the beginning of bme up to and including December 31, 1996,
(a) that relate to the payment by GTE to the C~ty of reasonable compensation for GTE's
use of City rights-of-way, whether by agreement, ordinance or otherwise, and (b) that
relate to the pass through of such payments by GTE to ~ts customers, which GTE made
or could have made ~n the lawsuits styled GTE Southwest Incomorated vs. C~ty of
Denton. et al., Cause No 95-50259-367, ~n the 367th D~stnct Court of Denton County,
Texas, C~ty of Rusk. an mcorDorated Texas mumc~Dahty, et al. v. GTE Southwest. Inc..
Cause No 95-5-00360, ~n the D~stnct Court of Cherokee County, Texas, and the
proceeding styled ComDla~nt of O~ty of Denton. Texas. et al. A_oamst GTE Southwest
]Qr,9.r.~, PUC Docket No 14162, SOAH Docket No 473-95-1002 ~n the Texas
Pubhc Utdlty Commms~on
~ DJ~ The Parties agree to submit, w~th~n ten (10)
days after execution by the C~ty and GTE of th~s Agreement, an agreed order of
dismissal of all claims, counterclaims and causes of action, w~th prejudice, by each
Party against the other ~n the Denton Lawsuit, the Rusk Lawsuit, and the PUC
Complaint If any of the agreed orders of d~smlssal are not accepted or s~gned by the
Court or the PUC, respectwely, both Part~es agree to file motions for nonsu~t w~th
prejudice regarding all claims, counterclaims and causes of action raised by such
Part~es In Court or PUC Each Party shall pay all court costs ~ncurred by such Party
VI
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
~ Thru Agreement ~s a compromise settlement of d~sputed ~ssues and
claims and, therefore, w~ll not be construed as an admission of habd~ty of any Party or of
the vahd~ty of any claims or potential claims made by any Party against any other Party
or otherwise construed as an admms~on of any Party and, as such, wdl not be offered or
received as ewdence ~n any proceeding, prowded that nothing wdl prevent th~s
Agreement or ItS terms from being used, offered or received ~n ewdence ~n any
proceeding to enfome any or all of the terms here~n
ROWSET - 4 - 1O21961021
Section 6.2 Th~s Agreement wdl neither constitute nor prowde to any third party
any remedy, defense, claim, ewdence, or other nght ~n excess of those ex~stmg w~thout
reference to th~s Agreement
Section 6.3 This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the
Part~es with respect to the matters specifically described harem, and all pr~or
agreements, oral or wntten representations, statements, understandings, proposals and
undertakings w~th respect to such matters are superseded and replaced by the
prows~ons of th~s Agreement
Section 6.4 The persons executing th~s Agreement on behalf of the respective
Part~es hereto have been duly and properly authorized to execute the same by the
passage of any necessary motion, resolution or other act
Section 6.5 Thru Agreement shall be construed tn accordance w~th the laws of
the State of Texas
Section 6.6 The rights, powers, hm~tat~ons, duties, restnct~ons and releases
here~n prowded for shall ~nure to and be binding upon the Part,es hereto and upon their
respective legal and bona hde representatives, successors and assigns
.~=R.~lg.J, t9.~ The effect,ve date of th,s Agreement ,s the2.~ day of ,1996
CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS
ATTEST
~./,J.L~ By
Cl~j~ec~'~ta~ City of Denton, Texas
C~of Denton, Texas
GTE SOUTHWEST iNCORPORATED
ATTEST
,t ~,~ 'Hardy E White
' ~,'~--~.~.o..~.-.-~ '~,~--~~ Acting Regional President -
Date //' '7 ~ ~ Texas/New Mex,co
ROWSET - 5 - 1021961021