Bill Text: IA SF401 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the imposition of certain fees on public utilities for the use of public rights-of-way. (Formerly SSB 1152; See SF 611.)

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-04-02 - Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 611. S.J. 827. [SF401 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2019-SF401-Introduced.html
Senate File 401 - Introduced SENATE FILE 401 BY COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1152) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the imposition of certain fees on public 1 utilities for the use of public rights-of-way. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1784SV (1) 88 gh/rn
S.F. 401 Section 1. Section 480A.2, subsection 2, Code 2019, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 2. “Management costs” means the reasonable , direct, and 3 fully documented costs a local government actually incurs in 4 managing to manage public rights-of-way. 5 Sec. 2. Section 480A.3, Code 2019, is amended to read as 6 follows: 7 480A.3 Fees. 8 1. A local government shall not recover any fee from a 9 public utility for the use of its available right-of-way, other 10 than a permit fee for its management costs attributable to 11 the public utility’s requested use of the local government’s 12 right-of-way . A local government may recover from a public 13 utility only those management costs caused by the public 14 utility’s activity in the public right-of-way. A fee or 15 other obligation under this section shall be imposed on 16 a competitively neutral basis. When a local government’s 17 management costs cannot be attributed to only one entity, 18 those costs shall be allocated among all users of the public 19 rights-of-way, including the local government itself. The 20 allocation shall reflect proportionately the costs incurred by 21 the local government as a result of the various types of uses 22 of the public rights-of-way. 23 2. This section does not prohibit : 24 a. Prohibit the collection of a franchise fee as permitted 25 in section 480A.6 . 26 b. Prohibit voluntary agreements between a public utility 27 and local government to share services for the purpose of 28 reducing costs and preserving public rights-of-way for future 29 public safety purposes. 30 Sec. 3. Section 480A.4, Code 2019, is amended to read as 31 follows: 32 480A.4 In-kind services. 33 A local government, in lieu of a fee imposed under this 34 chapter , shall not require in-kind services by a public utility 35 -1- LSB 1784SV (1) 88 gh/rn 1/ 2
S.F. 401 right-of-way user , or require in-kind services as a condition 1 of the use of the local government’s public right-of-way , 2 unless pursuant to a voluntary agreement between a public 3 utility and local government to share services for the purpose 4 of reducing costs and preserving public rights-of-way for 5 future public safety purposes . 6 EXPLANATION 7 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 8 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 9 This bill relates to certain fees imposed on public 10 utilities for the use of public rights-of-way. Code chapter 11 480A allows local governments to impose certain fees on public 12 utilities for operating public utility facilities in public 13 rights-of-way. A local government may only impose a fee for 14 management costs, as defined, that are caused by the public 15 utility’s activity in the right-of-way, and cannot require 16 in-kind services in lieu of a fee. 17 The bill modifies the definition of “management costs” in 18 Code chapter 480A to provide that such costs must be direct and 19 fully documented. The bill specifies that a local government 20 may only recover a permit fee for management costs attributable 21 to the public utility’s requested use of an available public 22 right-of-way, instead of management costs caused by the 23 public utility’s activity in the right-of-way. The bill 24 provides that Code section 480A.3, relating to permissible 25 fees imposed on public utilities, shall not prohibit voluntary 26 agreements between a public utility and local government to 27 share services for the purpose of reducing costs and preserving 28 public rights-of-way for future public safety purposes, and 29 allows in-kind services in lieu of a fee if pursuant to such a 30 voluntary agreement. 31 -2- LSB 1784SV (1) 88 gh/rn 2/ 2
feedback