ARTICLE X: PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS, CONTRACTS, AND FRANCHISES
All public utility franchises granted after the adoption of this Charter, whether it be so provided in the granting ordinance or not, shall be subject to the right of the city:
1. To repeal the franchise for misuse, or non-use, or for failure to comply with the provisions thereof;
2. To require proper and adequate extension of plant and service maintenance thereof at the highest practicable standard of efficiency;
3. To establish reasonable standards of service and quality of products, and prevent unjust discrimination in service or rates;
4. To require continuous and uninterrupted service to the public in accordance with the terms of the franchise throughout the entire period thereof;
5. To impose such other regulations as may be determined by the Council to be conducive to the safety, welfare, and accommodation of the public;
6. To require the public utility to which any franchise is granted to permit joint use of its property and appurtenances located in the streets, alleys, and public places of the city, and other utilities insofar as such joint use may be reasonable rental therefor; provided, that in the absence of agreement, upon application by any public utility, the Council shall provide for arbitration of the terms and conditions of such joint use. Said arbitration shall be governed by the rules and regulations of the American Arbitration Association; the cost of arbitration to be paid for jointly or shared equally by the contestants; and
7. To pay such part of the cost of improvement or maintenance of the streets, alleys, bridges, and public places of the city as shall arise from its use thereof and to protect and save the city harmless from all damages arising from said use.
The Council shall provide, by ordinance, for the collection of all public utility charges made by the city and, for such purpose, shall have all the power granted to cities by Act 178 of the Public Acts of 1939, as amended. Utility bills due and unpaid shall become a lien on the property served and may be enforced and collected in the same manner as other city taxes. When any person or persons, or any firm or corporation, shall fail or refuse to pay to the city any sums due on utility bills, the utility service or services upon which such delinquency exists may be shut off or discontinued and suit may be instituted by the city for the collection of the same in any court of competent jurisdiction.
The Council shall have power to do any public work or make any public improvement by the employment of the necessary labor and the purchase of the necessary supplies and materials with separate accounting as to each improvement so made, or to do such work by contract duly let after competitive bidding. Where competitive bids are secured, the city, or any city department qualified to do the work, may enter a bid on an equal basis with other bidders. The Council shall also have the power to do any public work or make any public improvement under any legally constituted plan under which the labor is furnished by any other governmental unit, department, or agency of the United States or by the State of Michigan, or which is wholly or in part financed by them or either of them.
Council shall establish by ordinance, rules, and regulations for all purchases to be made by the City. No contract or purchase order shall be subdivided for the purpose of circumventing the dollar values specified by ordinance. It is the intent of this Charter that purchasing procedures of the City be open and fair, and that any Ordinance passed pursuant to this provision shall include competitive bidding procedures. (Approved by the electorate: 11-1-99)