Arizona Laws 40-342. Petitions of owners for cost study establishing an underground conversion service area
A. In the event that not less than sixty per cent of the owners of contiguous real property within a reasonably compact area of reasonable size, and who own not less than sixty per cent on a square foot basis of the real property within such area, seek to establish an underground conversion service area they shall petition each public service corporation or public agency serving such area by overhead electric or communication facilities to make a study of the costs which will be related to the establishment of such area as an underground conversion service area.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 40-342
- Commission: means the corporation commission. See Arizona Laws 40-201
- conversion: means the removal of existing overhead electric or communication facilities and the replacement thereof with underground electric or communication facilities constructed at the same or different locations. See Arizona Laws 40-341
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Electric or communication facilities: means any works or improvements used or useful in providing electric, communication or cable television service or video service, including poles, supports, tunnels, manholes, vaults, conduits, pipes, wires, conductors, guys, stubs, platforms, crossarms, braces, transformers, insulators, cutouts, switches, capacitors, meters, communication circuits, appliances, attachments and appurtenances. See Arizona Laws 40-341
- Lot: includes any portion, piece, parcel or subdivision of land, but not property owned or controlled by any person as a right of way. See Arizona Laws 40-341
- Overhead electric or communication facilities: means electric or communication facilities located above the surface of the ground, except as provided for in paragraphs 3 and 12 of this section. See Arizona Laws 40-341
- Owner: means the person in whom legal title appears by recorded deed, or the person in possession under claim of title, or the person exercising acts of ownership for the person or as the personal representative of the owner, including the boards of trustees of school districts and the boards of education of high school districts owning property within the underground conversion service area. See Arizona Laws 40-341
- Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Public agency: means any irrigation, power, electrical or agricultural improvement district now or hereafter organized that provides electric or communication service to the public by means of electric or communication facilities. See Arizona Laws 40-341
- Public service corporation: means any person or corporation that provides electric or communication service to the public by means of electric or communication facilities. See Arizona Laws 40-341
- Real property: means the real estate owned in fee, but not inclusive of buildings or structures located thereon, or any property owned or controlled as a railroad or street right-of-way. See Arizona Laws 40-341
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Underground conversion service area: means an area in which existing electric and communication facilities are to be placed underground, exclusive of any lines or facilities used or intended to be used for the transmission of electric energy at nominal voltages in excess of twenty-five thousand volts or having a circuit capacity in excess of twelve thousand kVA and facilities used or intended to be used for the transmission of intelligence by microwave or radio and facilities such as transformers, pull boxes, service terminals, pedestal terminals, splice closures, apparatus cabinets and similar facilities that normally are above the surface in areas where service lines are underground in accordance with standard underground practices, and on-the-ground facilities attached to overhead facilities that are used to connect an underground system to overhead facilities. See Arizona Laws 40-341
B. The petition shall set forth:
1. The necessity for the proposed underground conversion service area.
2. That the public convenience, necessity or welfare will be promoted by the establishment of the underground conversion service area and that the property to be included therein will be benefited.
3. The name and address of the owner of each parcel or lot within the proposed underground conversion service area as reflected on the records of the county assessor.
4. Such other matters as may be required by the public service corporation or public agency.
C. Each copy of the petition shall be verified by one of the petitioners and shall be accompanied by a plat or sketch indicating the boundaries of the proposed underground conversion service area and size in square feet of each parcel or lot within the proposed underground conversion service area.
D. Each public service corporation or public agency serving such area by overhead electric or communication facilities shall, within one hundred twenty days after receipt of the petition, make a study of the cost of conversion of its facilities in such area to underground service, and shall in its office make available to the petitioners and to all owners of land within the proposed underground conversion service area a joint report of the public service corporations or public agencies affected as to the results of the study. The joint report shall set forth an estimate of the costs to be assessed to each lot or parcel of real property located within the proposed underground conversion service area for the conversion of facilities within public places. The joint report shall also indicate the estimated cost to be assessed to each lot or parcel of real property for placing underground the facilities of the public service corporation or public agency located within the boundaries of each parcel or lot then receiving service. The costs of preparing the joint report shall be borne by the public service corporation or public agency whose overhead electric or communication facilities are to be included in the proposed underground conversion service area unless the corporation commission or board of supervisors orders the establishment of the underground conversion service area, in which event such costs shall be included in the underground conversion costs.
E. In the event the petitioners desire to convert any facilities used or intended to be used for the transmission of electric energy at nominal voltages in excess of twenty-five thousand volts, or having a current capacity in excess of twelve thousand kva, the petition shall so state, and the joint report of the public service corporation or public agency serving such area by overhead electric or communication facilities shall state separately the costs of conversion of such facilities to underground service.
F. A summary of the estimate of the costs to be assessed against each lot or parcel of real property located within the proposed underground conversion service area for the conversion of facilities within public places and the estimated costs to be assessed to each lot or parcel of real property for placing underground the facilities of the public service corporation or public agency located within the boundaries of each parcel or lot then receiving service shall be mailed by the public service corporation or public agency to each owner of real property located within the proposed underground conversion service area to the address of such owner as set forth on the petition for the cost study.