City of Edmonds v. General Telephone Co. of Northwest, Inc.

Green, J. —

The City of Edmonds brought this action against General Telephone Company of the Northwest to recover the amount expended by the City in converting General's overhead telephone lines along Fifth Avenue South to an underground system. The City based its action upon two ordinances. The first ordinance granted General a franchise to use city streets for its facilities on the condition that General bear the expense of undergrounding its lines when the City chose to improve a street. The second ordinance adopted a plan for the improvement of Fifth Avenue South and ordered General to…