(a) No public street, alley, highway, sidewalk, public way or public ground within the Town shall be dug into, opened or excavated, or the surface thereof in any manner broken or injured for the benefit of any person, other than the Town itself, except as provided in this article.
(b) Any person desiring to have any opening or excavation made in the surface of a street, or to use the streets and alleys for his benefit, shall make an application in writing to the Mayor therefor. Such application shall give the name and address of the applicant, the location and purpose of the opening or excavation and the time when such opening or excavation is to be made. All such openings and excavations shall be made by the Town or its agents, employees or contractors.
(c) Upon approval thereof, the Mayor shall issue a work order or permit, showing the work which is to be accomplished by the Town for the applicant with the estimated cost thereof and such other information as the Mayor may deem pertinent. In any proper case, the Mayor may require the applicant by bond or money deposit to insure the Town of payment for the work before the same is accomplished.
(d) Where any such opening or excavation, or other disturbance, is upon a paved street, the applicant may also be required to pay to the Town a service fee to cover the cost of any permanent injury to the surface of such street.
(e) In addition to the fees, rates and charges above provided for, the Town may also make a proper charge, to be determined by the Mayor, for reimbursement of the cost to the Town for providing the necessary safeguards to the traveling public, and for the protection of persons and property, while such work is being accomplished.
(f) The applicant shall within ten days after the completion of the work pay to the Town its full costs therefor as may be required, and in the event the same shall not be paid within such period of time the Mayor shall cause a lien to be filed in the office of the Clerk of the Court of the County against any property which the applicant may own within the Town.
(g) In the making of any such openings and excavations, all necessary safeguards shall be used by the Town or its contractor for the safety of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and for the protection of lives and property.
(h) The foregoing provisions of this section are subject to the proviso that, as to any public utility company or other person having a current or existing franchise with the Town, or any Municipally-owned public utility providing public water service to the residents of the Town that any such franchised public utility company, or other person, or any such Municipally-owned waterworks maintaining its public service lines in, on, under, over or through the streets and other public ways within the Town may at its own cost open or excavate in any street, alley, highway, avenue, public way or sidewalk for the purpose of laying, maintaining, repairing, relaying or altering such public service lines but only in such manner as may be authorized or required by its franchise, or by such Municipally-owned waterworks system in such manner as the Mayor may require consistent with the existing franchise ordinances of the Town; provided, however, that no franchised public utility having a franchise with the Town shall act as a contractor for, or shall do work under the terms of this section for any person or public utility which does not have a franchise with the Town.