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Spanish Fort council adopts 30-year Riviera Utilities franchise, city to receive 5% compensation
Summary
The Spanish Fort City Council adopted Ordinance 7‑14‑2025 granting a 30‑year, nonexclusive franchise to the Utilities Board of the City of Foley, doing business as Riviera Utilities, for electrical distribution within the city; the franchise includes a 5% compensation provision for sales inside city limits.
The Spanish Fort City Council on a roll-call vote adopted Ordinance 7‑14‑2025, granting a 30‑year nonexclusive franchise to the Utilities Board of the City of Foley, doing business as Riviera Utilities, to maintain electrical distribution lines within Spanish Fort's public rights-of-way. Council members approved suspending the rules to consider the ordinance immediately and then adopted the ordinance.
The ordinance, as presented to the council, renews a franchise first granted to Riviera Utilities in 1994 and sets compensation to the city at 5% of Riviera's sales inside the Spanish Fort corporate limits. City staff said the franchise agreement is attached as an exhibit to the ordinance.
City staff and council members discussed the ordinance briefly before moving for immediate consideration. The council voted in favor on the motion to suspend the rules and then voted to adopt the ordinance; roll-call votes recorded a unanimous "yes" from the members present.
The franchise keeps in place Riviera's authority to use city right-of-way for electric distribution under a nonexclusive arrangement; no amendments to the ordinance were recorded on the floor. The council did not record additional conditions or implementation steps during the meeting.
The ordinance will govern Riviera Utilities' operations in the city for up to 30 years as written and establishes the city's compensation stream at 5% of retail sales inside city limits. The council packet includes the full franchise agreement as part of the ordinance exhibit for public review.
As adopted, the ordinance became city law upon the council's affirmative roll-call vote; there was no recorded dissent in the meeting minutes provided.
The council will handle any future questions about the agreement or its implementation through standard administrative channels, and staff will be the point of contact for questions about franchise compliance and payments.
