The City may grant, for a period not to exceed fifty years, the right and franchise to use the public streets and highways of the City for the purpose of operating street, suburban or interurban railroads and for constructing thereon or laying thereunder telegraph, telephone, and telecommunications wires and cables, conduits and water mains and service pipes, in, upon, over, under or along any street, highway or other public places and may grant franchises for railroads, other than street, suburban or interurban, when authorized so to do by a vote of the electors. The City may grant, for an indeterminate period of time or for such specific term as may be determined by the City, the right and franchise to any person, firm or corporation, whether operating under an existing franchise or not, to use or to construct and use, poles, wires, conduit and appur-tenances for transmitting and distributing electricity for all purposes, or to use, or to lay and use, pipes and appurtenances for transmitting and distributing gas for any and all purposes, under, along, across or upon the public streets, ways, alleys and places within the City.
Editor's note: This section of the Charter was amended by Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 162, which was approved by the voters of the city, June 8, 1965; this section was further amended by the voters of the city March 5, 2002.