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Council adopts 10-year franchise with Portland General Electric; narrows vegetation and undergrounding approvals
Summary
The council adopted Ordinance 7-2024, a 10-year franchise agreement with Portland General Electric that narrows PGE’s vegetation-management authority, requires property-owner coordination for tree work outside easements, and bars installation of facilities in previously undergrounded rights-of-way without written city approval. The ordinance takes effect Jan. 10.
The Wood Village City Council adopted Ordinance 7-2024 on Dec. 10, approving a 10-year franchise agreement with Portland General Electric (PGE) that includes new limits on vegetation management and a requirement that PGE secure the city’s written approval before installing facilities in rights-of-way that have been converted to underground conduit.
Staff described three major revisions to the draft franchise: (1) language clarifying city and PUC requirements when the city requests facility relocation; (2) a new vegetation-management section that ties PGE’s trimming and removal to adopted ANSI tree-care standards and requires direct coordination with property owners before taking action outside easements; and (3) a provision that prohibits installation of permanent overhead or other facilities within public rights-of-way that were converted to underground conduit without explicit written approval from the city. As staff summarized, "Grantee may not install permanent owner facilities within the public right away that have been converted to underground unless... the city... receives our written city approval," language the council said it favored.
Staff emphasized that the franchise governs terms for operating in city rights-of-way and does not set PGE customer rates, which remain under the PUC’s authority. The council opened the required public hearing, heard no public testimony, closed the hearing and adopted the ordinance by motion and voice vote; staff noted the ordinance would take effect Jan. 10 and that the council had negotiated language to protect the city’s interests on vegetation and undergrounding.
Councilors praised staff negotiations with PGE and noted the changes give the city clearer control over work that affects undergrounded infrastructure and private property. The council’s adoption marks the end of a multi-month negotiation process and moves the city to a ten-year franchise term with clarified operational standards.
