SB-0399, As Passed Senate, June 9, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUBSTITUTE FOR

 

SENATE BILL NO. 399

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1909 PA 283, entitled

 

"An act to revise, consolidate, and add to the laws relating to the

establishment, opening, discontinuing, vacating, closing, altering,

improvement, maintenance, and use of the public highways and

private roads; the condemnation of property and gravel therefor;

the building, repairing and preservation of bridges; maintaining

public access to waterways under certain conditions; setting and

protecting shade trees, drainage, and cutting weeds and brush

within this state; providing for the election or appointment and

defining the powers, duties, and compensation of state, county,

township, and district highway officials; and to prescribe

penalties and provide remedies,"

 

by amending section 19b of chapter IV (MCL 224.19b), as added by

 

1980 PA 212.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

CHAPTER IV

 

     Sec. 19b. (1) A person, partnership, association, corporation,

 

or governmental entity shall not construct, operate, maintain, or

 


remove a facility or perform any other work within the right of way

 

right-of-way of a county road, except sidewalk installation and

 

repair, without first obtaining a permit from the county road

 

commission having jurisdiction over the road and from the township,

 

city, or village in which the county road is located when a permit

 

is required by ordinance of the township, city, or village,

 

pursuant to authority conferred by article VII, section 29 of

 

article VII of the Michigan state constitution of 1963. The

 

adjacent property owner shall is not be required to obtain a permit

 

for work incidental to the maintenance of the right of way right-

 

of-way lying outside of the shoulder and roadway.

 

     (2) A county road commission and a local unit of government

 

may adopt, after a public hearing of which notice has been given by

 

publication at least twice in a newspaper circulated in the county

 

not more than 30 days nor less than 7 days prior to before the

 

hearing, reasonable permit requirements and, subject to subsection

 

(5), a schedule of fees to be charged sufficient to cover only the

 

necessary and actual costs applied in a reasonable manner for the

 

issuance of issuing the permit and for review of the proposed

 

activity, inspection, and related expenses. After the work

 

authorized in the permit has been completed, itemization of all

 

costs shall be supplied upon request of the permit holder.

 

     (3) When a road commission adopts procedures for the issuance

 

of issuing permits or adopts a schedule of fees in accordance with

 

the provisions of this section, separate procedures and fee

 

schedules shall be adopted for the issuance of issuing annual and

 

emergency permits which that reflect the minimal administrative


burden of issuing an annual permit for frequent but routine and

 

unobtrusive work such as surveying and the extraordinary emergency

 

repairs to municipal or public utilities.

 

     (4) A county road commission may not refuse a permit requested

 

by a government entity for the installation of a facility or

 

utility owned by that government entity if security is given by the

 

permittee or its contractor to the county road commission

 

sufficient to insure restoration of the road and appurtenances

 

thereto and adjacent right of way right-of-way to a condition

 

reasonably equal to or better than that existing prior to such

 

before that installation. nor may a

 

     (5) A county road commission shall not charge a government

 

entity or a provider a permit fee exceeding $300.00 per permit or

 

$1,000.00 total for all permits per project.

 

     (6) Subject to this subsection, a county road commission shall

 

not require a provider to have more than 1 security bond or right-

 

of-way bond from a state or federally regulated entity to secure

 

the performance of the conditions of all permits issued that

 

authorize the provider to construct, operate, maintain, or remove a

 

facility or perform any other work anywhere within the right-of-way

 

of any road under the jurisdiction of the county road commission.

 

The provider shall determine whether the security bond or right-of-

 

way bond described in this subsection is an insurance bond or a

 

cash bond. A county road commission shall not require the security

 

bond or right-of-way bond to be a cash bond. The amount of a

 

security bond or right-of-way bond described in this subsection

 

shall not exceed $20,000.00. Upon the request of a provider, the


county road commission shall return a security bond or right-of-way

 

bond to the provider within 60 days after the provider completes

 

construction work in the right-of-way. Instead of providing a

 

security bond or right-of-way bond, a provider may provide security

 

that consists of an irrevocable letter of credit issued by a state

 

or federally regulated financial institution to secure the

 

performance of the conditions of all permits issued that authorize

 

the provider to construct, operate, maintain, or remove a facility

 

or perform any other work anywhere within the right-of-way of any

 

road under the jurisdiction of the county road commission.

 

     (7) A provider shall maintain general liability insurance with

 

minimum policy limits of $1,000,000.00 per occurrence for property

 

damage and $1,000,000.00 per occurrence for bodily injury that

 

apply to all claims, demands, suits, or causes of action arising in

 

connection with or as a direct result of the provider's use and

 

occupancy of a right-of-way under the jurisdiction of a county road

 

commission. The county road commission shall not require the

 

provider to furnish a policy of general liability insurance naming

 

the county, the county road commission, its officers, employees,

 

and others as additional insureds.

 

     (8) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "County road commission" means the board of county road

 

commissioners elected or appointed pursuant to section 6 of this

 

chapter, or, in the case of a charter county with a population of

 

750,000 or more with an elected county executive that does not have

 

a board of county road commissioners, the county executive for

 

ministerial functions and the county commission provided for in


section 14(1)(d) of 1966 PA 293, MCL 45.514, for legislative

 

functions. In addition, if a board of county road commissioners is

 

dissolved as provided in section 6 of this chapter, county road

 

commission includes the county board of commissioners of the

 

county.

 

     (b) "Provider" means either of the following:

 

     (i) A telecommunication provider as that term is defined in

 

section 102 of the Michigan telecommunications act, 1991 PA 179,

 

MCL 484.2102.

 

     (ii) A video service provider as that term is defined in

 

section 1 of the uniform video services local franchise act, 2006

 

PA 480, MCL 484.3301.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.