2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 31 - GOVERNMENT - MUNICIPAL (§§ 31-1-101 — 31-35-712) › POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF CITIES AND TOWNS (§§ 31-15-101 — 31-35-712) › Article 15 - EXERCISE OF MUNICIPAL POWERS (§§ 31-15-101 — 31-15-1101) › Part 7 - PUBLIC PROPERTY AND IMPROVEMENTS (§§ 31-15-701 — 31-15-716) › Section 31-15-707 - Municipal utilities

(1)
The governing body of each municipality has the power:
(a)
(I)
To acquire waterworks, gasworks, and gas distribution systems for the distribution of gas of any kind or electric light and power works and distribution systems, or heating and cooling works and distribution systems for the distribution of heat and cooling obtained from geothermal resources, solar or wind energy, hydroelectric or renewable biomass resources, including waste and cogenerated heat, and all appurtenances necessary to any of said works or systems or to authorize the erection, ownership, operation, and maintenance of such works and systems by others. No such works or systems, except waterworks, shall be acquired or erected by a municipality until the question of acquiring or erecting the same is submitted at a regular or special election and approved in the manner provided for authorization of bonded indebtedness by section
31-15-302(1)(d)
and in accordance with the requirements of law, including requirements of law relating to the acquisition and financing of public utilities by municipalities. The question of acquiring or erecting a waterworks need not be so submitted and approved at an election.
(II)
All such works or systems authorized by any municipality to be erected by others or the franchise of which is extended or renewed shall be authorized, extended, or renewed upon the express condition that such municipality has the right and power to purchase or condemn any such works or systems at their fair market value at the time of purchasing or condemning such works or systems, excluding all value of the franchise or right-of-way through the streets and also excluding any value by virtue of any contract for hydrant or private rental or otherwise entered into with the municipality in excess of the fair market value of the works or systems. If, after an election conducted in the manner prescribed in section
31-15-302(1)(d)
, the municipality is authorized to acquire any of said works or systems after granting a franchise therefor to any person, the municipality shall purchase or condemn such works or systems within the municipal limits then utilized in serving the inhabitants of such municipality at their fair market value. Nothing in this subparagraph (II) shall require such municipality to purchase or condemn all or any part of such works or systems which is obsolete or which has outworn its usefulness.
(III)
If the municipality elects to purchase such works or systems and if the parties in interest cannot agree on the purchase price, they shall enter into a written agreement to arbitrate the matter and to abide by the award of the arbitrators, in which event each party shall choose an arbitrator to determine their fair market value. If the two arbitrators cannot agree on the fair market value, they shall choose a third disinterested arbitrator, and the award of any two arbitrators shall be final and binding upon the parties.
(IV)
Nothing in this paragraph (a) shall authorize the condemnation or purchase of any such works or systems within twenty years after the granting of any franchise therefor, except at periods of ten or fifteen years thereafter, without the consent of the owner of the franchise.
(b)
To construct or authorize the construction of such waterworks without their limits and, for the purpose of maintaining and protecting the same from injury and the water from pollution, their jurisdiction shall extend over the territory occupied by such works and all reservoirs, streams, trenches, pipes, and drains used in and necessary for the construction, maintenance, and operation of the same and over the stream or source from which the water is taken for five miles above the point from which it is taken and to enact all ordinances and regulations necessary to carry the power conferred in this paragraph (b) into effect;
(c)
To make such grant to inure for a term of not more than twenty-five years when the right to build and operate such water, gas, heating and cooling, or electric light works is granted to a person by said municipality and to authorize such person to charge and collect from each person supplied by them with water, gas, heat, cooling, or electric light such water, gas, heat, cooling, or electric light rent as may be agreed upon between the person building said works and said municipality; and to enter into a contract with the person constructing said works to supply said municipality with water for fire purposes and for such other purposes as may be necessary for the health and safety thereof and also with gas, heat, cooling, and electric light and to pay therefor such sums as may be agreed upon between said contracting parties;
(d)
To assess from time to time, when constructing such water, gas, heating and cooling, or electric light works and in such manner as it deems equitable, upon each tenement or other place supplied with water, gas, heat, cooling, or electric light, such water, gas, heat, cooling, or electric light rent as may be agreed upon by the governing body. Gas, heat, cooling, and electric light shall be charged for according to use. At the regular time for levying taxes in each year, said municipality is empowered to levy and cause to be collected, in addition to the other taxes authorized to be levied, a special tax on taxable property in said municipality. Such tax, with the water, gas, heat, cooling, or electric light rents hereby authorized, shall be sufficient to pay the expenses of running, repairing, and operating such works. If the right to build, maintain, and operate such works is granted to a person by a municipality and the municipality contracts with said person for the supplying of water, gas, heat, cooling, or electric light for any purpose, such municipality shall levy each year and cause to be collected a special tax, as provided for in this paragraph (d), sufficient to pay off such water, gas, heat, cooling, or electric light rents so agreed to be paid to said person constructing said works. The tax shall not exceed the sum of three mills on the dollar for any one year.
(e)
To condemn and appropriate so much private property as is necessary for the construction and operation of water, gas, heating and cooling, or electric light works in such manner as may be prescribed by law; and to condemn and appropriate any water, gas, heating and cooling, or electric light works not owned by such municipality in such manner as may be prescribed by law for the condemnation of real estate.
L. 75: Entire title R&RE, p. 1115, § 1, effective July 1. L. 77: (1)(a)(I) amended, p. 1462, § 1, effective May 16. L. 81: (1)(a)(I) and (1)(c) to (1)(e) amended, p. 1455, § 3, effective May 27.
This section is similar to former § 31-12-101 as it existed prior to 1975.