(a) The service provided by the grantee under a franchise may be required to continue uninterrupted beyond the expiration or cancellation of a franchise. The procedures for the renewal of a franchise shall be those provided in Section 626 of the Act as supplemented by the provisions of this Section 11-1.607.
(b) Any franchise may be renewed for a term not to exceed twenty (20) years at any time prior to the expiration of the franchise. An application therefor shall be submitted to the County Administrator containing such material as the Board may require, including, but not limited to, proposals for an upgrade of the cable communications system.
(c) In the event the Board decides to offer renewal to the grantee, the Board shall adopt an ordinance offering the renewal of the franchise to the grantee. The franchise agreement may prescribe terms, conditions, or requirements respecting the franchise which are in addition to those set forth in this chapter, the request for renewal, or the original franchise agreement. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of the request for renewal and the provisions of the franchise agreement adopted pursuant to this section, the provisions of the franchise agreement shall prevail. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of the original franchise agreement and the franchise renewal agreement adopted pursuant to this section, the provisions of the latter shall prevail.
(d) The ordinance offering renewal shall be deemed repealed and the request for renewal rejected thirty (30) calendar days after its adoption unless, not later than the thirtieth (30th) day following the adoption, the grantee files a certification in writing which expressly and unconditionally accepts the renewal of the franchise in compliance with the terms, conditions, and requirements of such ordinance, the request for renewal, and this chapter. The certification shall be signed by a person duly authorized to act in behalf of the grantee, shall be notarized, shall have attached thereto a certified copy of an order by the board of directors of the grantee directing the execution of and filing of the certification, and shall be accompanied by the performance bond, the security deposit, and the policy or policies of insurance prescribed by Sections 11-1.1508, 11-1.1509, and 11-1.1511 of Article 15 of this chapter, respectively. The certification and accompaniments shall be filed with the Clerk of the Board. A certification which constitutes a qualified acceptance, or places other limits or conditions thereon, shall be deemed to be a nullity, and the franchise agreement shall be deemed to be repealed and the request for renewal denied. The thirty (30) day period for acceptance prescribed by this section may be extended either prior or subsequent to its expiration by the Board by resolution which prescribes the period of extension.
The filing of the certification in the manner and within the time prescribed in this section shall renew the franchise. (§ 1, Ord. 961, eff. October 27, 1983, as amended by § 7, Ord. 999, eff. March 7, 1985)