Council Considers Amended Oncor Franchise Agreement

The Town's current franchise with Oncor, which was set to expire on July 31, 2019, was extended on June 24, 2019 because of possible regulatory and statutory changes that were taking place that could have impacted details of the franchise. The new franchise currently being proposed for consideration accounts for the regulatory and statutory changes that were enacted. 

Town Charter Section 6.02 requires all Ordinances granting, renewing, amending, or extending franchises for public utilities to be read at two separate regular meetings of the City Council. The first required reading took place at the June 23 Council meeting and the second, which must be held at least 30 days after the first, will take place during the Council Meeting on August 11. The Charter also requires the full text of the Ordinance be published for four consecutive weeks in the Dallas Morning News, the Town's official newspaper.

Below is a summary of the changes in the Ordinance:

• Any references to TXU were changed to Oncor.
• Language was updated to comply with statutory and regulatory changes.
• Indemnification language was updated. 
• Language was incorporated to protect the Town's ability to regulate ancillary uses on Oncor's system (in accordance with applicable laws and regulations).
• Payment schedules were updated.
• Language was added to match Addison's Charter requirements.  

You can watch the Council's Oncor franchise discussion here.