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Home My WebLink AboutORD 09.12.1910 - Telephone ExchangeAlf ORDINANCE AN?,"TDDTG SECTION 02" OF AN ORDINANCR PASSED BY THE CITY COUrPC IL OF THE CITY OF GrORGFTOWN, TEXAS, ON THE 14TH, DAY OF FEBRUARY A.D. 18980 AND APPROVED BY THE MAYOR OF SAID CITY ON THE SAME DATE, GRANTING TO M.S. STBT AND LEGAL ASSIGNS AND SUCCESSORS, T�LR "FRANCHISE AND PRIVILEGE TO BUILD* CONSTRUCT AND MAINTAIN A LOCAL TELEPHONE EXCHANGE SYST{M IN SAID CITY: SAID SECTION 2 BEING SECTION 240 OF THE RRV I aED CIVIL AND CRIMINAL ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF GBORG33- TO`AN$ TEXAS, AS COMPILED AND PUBLISHED BY SAID CITY IN BOOK FORM, Thereas the Georgetown Telephone Company, a corporation with its principal oP'fice and place of business at Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas, has succeeded to and is now the legal owner and holder of all the rights, privileges and fran- chises granted to said M.S. Sweet in the said ordinance passed and approved on February 14th, 18989 and isthe owner of and is operating a telephone system in said City under said ordin- ance; and whereas said Georgetown Telephone Company desires to increase the rate for residence telephones from $1.25 per month as provided in said ordinance to $1.50 per month and in con- sideration of such increase has agreed to make certain improve- ments in its said system and to increase the efficiency thereof as hereinafter set out, therefore. BE IT ORDAINZD by the City Council of the City of Georgetownt Texas that Section 2 of an ordinance passed by the City Cou{cil of the City of Georgetown, Texas, on the 14th, day of February A.D. 1898, and approved by the Mayor of said City on the same date, granting to M.S. Sweet and legal assigns and successors$ the franchise and privilege to build, construct and maintain a local telephone exchange system in said City, said Section 2 being Section 240 of the Revised Civil and Criminal Ordinances of the City of Georgetown$ Texas$ as com- piled and published by said City in Oook form, be amended so as to here?fter read as follows, to -wit: Section 240, Subdivision A. That the maxium rate and rents to be charged the citizens of Georgetown for telephone service during the life of this franchise shall not exceed the following for One Year Contracts: For business 'phones 11 "'2.00 per month; for office phones $1.50 per month; for residence phones $1.50 per month. And an additional rate of 50 cents per month may be charged for less than one year contracts, and any charges in excess of said rates shall immediately forfeit all rights and privileges given by this franchise. Subdivision B. The said Georgetown Telephone Company its successors and assigns, shall maintain and furnish a continuous day and night service; by "night service" is meant that there shall be kept at the switch boards of said company during all hours of the night at least one operator who shall remain awake and attend to such switch boards. Subdivision C. The said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, shall increase and maintain the number of its operators so that during the daytime no one operator shall have to attend to more than 160 'phones, except that on Sundays and legal holidays one operator may attend to more than 160 'phones. Subdivision D. The said Georgetown Telephone Company, its succe!zsors and assigns, shall enclose all its wires on and around the Public Square in said City in lead cables, and shall give a metallic circuit to all 'phones in all business houses and offices on or in said Public Square and on or in Blocks adjoining said Public Square, Subdivision B. The said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, shall connect its exchange with, and shall handle the business of, any rural telephone company, or companies, which shall build its line,, or lines# to the City limits, or shall have connection to the City limits, over the line of any other rural company, and shall desire connec- tion with such exchange, upon terms to be agreed upon by said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, and such rural company or companies; and in the event said George- town Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, and such rural telephone company, or companies cannot agree upon rates and terms for such connection with such exchange, then the rates and terms for such connection shall be determined by arbitration (provided such rural company or companies, shall i� agree to settle same by arbitration) as followss The said Georgetown Telephone Company its successors and assigns, shall elect one disinterested person, such rural company, or companies, shall select one disinterested person, and the City Council bf this City shall select one disinterested person, which three persons shall act as ar- bitrators to decide the points not agreed upon in regard to the terms and conditions and rates for such connections; it shall only be necessary for any two of such arbitrators to agree upon any such point to decide it; an officer, owner or stockholder of any or either of said company, or companies, shall not be qualified to act as such arbitrator, but the fact that any person is a subscriber for a phone, or phones, from either or both of such company, or companies, shall not disqualify him to act as such arbitrator; when any such ar- bitration is had, then the said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, shall abide by the result thereof and shall furnish such connection on the rates and terms de- cided by such arbitration. It being provided, however, that the said Georgetown Telephone Company its successors and assigns shall make no charge against its subscribers in said City for service over such rural lines that may center in said City, that is, over such rural lines as do not maintain and operate a switchboard outside of said city; and it being further provided that by paying 50 cents per month to said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, ant and all ' subscribers to said Georgetown Telephone Company, its success- ors and assigns, in siad City who shall pay said sum of 50 cents per month shall have service over all of said rural lines which may connect with the exchange of the Georgetown Telephone Company its successors and assigns, without paying any additional tolls or charges therefor. Subdivision F. The said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, shall install and furnish to its subscribers for residence 'phones in this City, when desired by suchsubscribers, the " Four Party Selective Service," but such service can be demanded by such subscribers only in groups of four and the phones of any four subscribers demanding such service shall be so situated as to be conveniently reached by one wire; and the rate of such service shall be $1.00 per month each phone. 13 Subdivision G. The said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, -shall operate and maintain a first class and efficient telephone system in said City, and shall maintain and operate same in a safe and proper manner, and shall install and use first class, modern switehboards,'phones and appliances, and shall keep same in good condition and re- pair, and shall give prompt and first class service to its sub- scribers at any and all times of day and night. Subdivision H. The increased rates provided for residence 'phones in "subdivision A" hereof shall not go into effect, nor be collectable until the conditions and improvements prov- ided for in the foregoing subdivisions of this ordinanoe have been complied with and made, and not until the City Council by a resolution duly passed by it shall declare that such con- ditions and improvements have been complied with and made; and ; when such Council shall pass such resolution, then Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, shall be entitled to charge and collect such increased rate, but until such time it shall only collect the amount provided for under the original franchise. Subdivision I If at any time during the life of this franchise, the said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, shall fail to comply with and carry out the terms and conditions of this ordinance, and the City Council of this City shall pass a resolution pointing out wherein such terms and conditions are not being carried out and complied with, and a copy of such resolution shall be served upon said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, then from the date of the service of such copy until such terms and condit- ions shall be complied with, such Company, its successors and assigns, shall collect only the rates allowed in the origianl franchise; and if the said Georgetown Telephone Company, its successors and assigns, does not,within a reasonable time after the service of a copy of such resolution, comply with such terms and conditions, then said City Council may pass a resolution declaring that said Company,its successors and assigns, has forfeited all the rights, privileges and franchises granted herein and in said original franchise, and upon the passage If of such last mentioned resolution, all such rights, privileges and franchises shall be forfeited and of no further force and effort. PASSED AND APPROVED this the 12th, day of September A.D. 1910. R.F. Ward Mayor of the City of Georgetown, TexRs, ATTESTS Geo. FCea,he;�r � gPy of the �i, y of Georgetown, Texas, The Georgetown Telephone Company hereby accepts the terms and conditions of the foregoing ordinance and agree to comply with the same. This the lot day of June, A.D. 1911. Georgetown Telephone Company BY Z.C. ?7etcham Manager. 15