89-h. Transfer of franchises or stocks. 1. No water-works corporation shall transfer or lease its franchise, works or system or any part of such franchise, works or system to any other person or corporation or contract for the operation of its works and system, without the written consent of the commission.
2. The permission and approval of the commission to the assignment, transfer or lease of a franchise under this section shall not be construed to revive or validate any lapsed or invalid franchise or to enlarge or add to the powers and privileges contained in the grant of any franchise or to waive any forfeiture.
3. No water-works corporation shall directly or indirectly acquire the stock or bonds of any other corporation incorporated for, or engaged in, the same or a similar business, or proposing to operate or operating under a franchise from the same or any other municipality, unless authorized so to do by the commission.
4. Save where stock shall be transferred or held for the purpose of collateral security only with the consent of the commission empowered by this chapter to give such consent, no stock corporation of any description, domestic or foreign, company, including, but not limited to, a limited liability company, association, including a joint stock association, partnership, including a limited liability partnership, or person, other than a water-works corporation, shall purchase or acquire, take or hold, more than ten per centum of the voting capital stock issued by any water-works corporation organized or existing under or by virtue of the laws of this state, except that a corporation now lawfully holding a majority of the voting capital stock of any water-works corporation may with the consent of the commission acquire and hold the remainder of the voting capital stock of such water-works corporation or any portion thereof. Provided, that with the consent of such commission and upon and subject to such terms and conditions as such commission may fix and impose, any such stock corporation, company, association, partnership or person may acquire, take and hold more than ten per centum of the voting capital stock of any water-works corporation, organized or existing under or by virtue of the laws of this state.
5. No consent shall be given by the commission to the acquisition of any stock in accordance with this section unless it shall have been shown that such acquisition is in the public interest. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prevent the holding of any stock heretofore lawfully acquired, nor to prevent, upon the surrender or exchange of such stock pursuant to a reorganization plan, the purchase, acquisition, taking or holding of a proportionate amount of stock of any new corporation organized to take over, at foreclosure or other sale, the property of any corporation whose stock has been thus surrendered or exchanged; but the proportion of the voting capital stock of the new corporation held by a stock corporation, company, association, partnership or person and acquired by it by any such surrender or exchange of stock shall not without the consent of the commission exceed the proportion of the voting capital stock held by it in the former corporation.
6. Every contract, assignment, transfer or agreement for transfer of any stock by or through any person or corporation to any corporation, company, association, partnership or person, in violation of any provision of this chapter shall be void and of no effect, and no such transfer or assignment shall be made upon the books of any such water-works corporation, or shall be recognized as effective for any purpose.
Last modified: February 3, 2019