[Adopted 3-13-1950 by Ord. No. 818]
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960]
There is hereby imposed an annual rental or
charge upon the owners of properties served or to be served for the
use of the sewers and sewer system of the Township of Haverford and
for the use of extensions thereof which are in the course of construction
or to be constructed and for the use of the sewage treatment works.
The annual sewer rental or charge shall be such
sum as shall be sufficient to meet the following classes of expenses:
A.
The amount expended annually by the Township in the
operation, maintenance, repair, alteration, inspection, depreciation
or other expense in relation to such sewers, sewer system, pumping
stations or sewage treatment works.
B.
Such annual amount as may be necessary to provide
for the amortization of the indebtedness incurred or of the nondebt
revenue bonds or other bonds issued by the Township in the construction
or acquisition of such sewer, sewage system or sewage treatment works
and interest thereon in order that said improvement may become self-liquidating,
or as may be sufficient to pay the amount agreed to be paid annually
under the terms of any contract with any authority or municipality
furnishing sewage disposal or treatment services to the Township.
C.
Sufficient to establish a fund balance of no less
than 15% of budgeted sewer fund revenues.
[Amended 6-9-2014 by Ord.
No. 2718]
[Amended 6-9-2014 by Ord.
No. 2718]
The Board of Commissioners of Haverford Township
finds as a fact that the majority of properties of the Township which
are connected to the pubic sewers obtain water from the Aqua PA, hereafter
for convenience called "water company," and further that the water
company has water meters installed in the majority of said properties;
and the Township further finds that the majority of all properties
which are thus served by the water company are connected to the public
sewers. The Board of Commissioners of Haverford Township therefore
declares that the fairest manner in which to equitably apportion the
total sewer rental or charge to be made is to base the charge for
each property on the metered consumption of water used by each property
connected to the sewers. It is also determined that the annual sewer
rental or charge for any property for any year should be billed and
shown separately on the annual real estate, sewer rent and trash fee
bill dated February 1 of each year; and based, so far as practicable,
on water actually consumed by said property during the 12 consecutive
months ending September 30 preceding the annual bill date.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960; 6-9-2014 by Ord. No. 2718]
In October of each year, the Director of Finance shall secure a data file from the water company showing the total number of metered gallons of water used by each individual consumer or property within the Township for the 12 consecutive months ending September 30 and as records of the water company and their schedules of water meter readings permit. Reasonable compensation shall be paid to the water company for such data and shall be included as a part of the total amount of annual sewer rental as per § 149-9 hereof.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 149-12, Estimation of water
consumption for new properties required, as amended, was repealed
6-9-2014 by Ord. No. 2718.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960; 6-9-2014 by Ord. No. 2718]
As part of the annual budget process, the Board
of Commissioners shall adopt an ordinance which shall set a rate,
for the ensuing year, to be applied for every 1,000 gallons of water
used by consumers within the Township. The number of gallons shall
be the number of gallons used for the 12 consecutive months ending
September 30 of the preceding year as shown by water company records.
In computing the number of thousands of gallons per property, usage
will be determined to the closest 1/10 of a thousand gallons.
[Amended 6-9-2014 by Ord.
No. 2718]
Whenever a property upon which a sewer rental is hereby imposed
uses water from the water company, a portion of which is not discharged
into the sewage system of the Township, the quantity of water so used
and not discharged into the Township sewers shall be excluded in determining
the sewer rental of said property, provided that the quantity of water
so used and not discharged into the Township sewers is measured by
a device or devices approved by the Township and installed without
cost to the Township. A photograph of the initial "zero" reading of
the newly installed separate meter must be furnished to the Township
Finance Department upon installation. Annual readings, accompanied
by a photograph of the separate meter (as of September 30) must be
furnished to the Finance Department by the property owner no later
than November 1 of each year. Upon payment in full of the annual sewer
rent billed (at gross water usage) the following February 1, the reading
from the second meter will be used to calculate a refund back to the
property owner. This refund represents the sewer rents or charges
on water not discharged into the sewage system.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 149-15, Determination of
separate or additional sewer rental; installation of meters, was repealed
6-9-2014 by Ord. No. 2718.
[Amended 6-9-2014 by Ord.
No. 2718]
If a newly constructed property is connected to the public sewers
after the annual bills are calculated, water readings from the date
of connection through the next twelve-consecutive-month cycle ending
September 30 will be used to calculate the next sewer rent bill dated
February 1 of the following year.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960; 6-9-2014 by Ord. No. 2718]
In December of each year, estimated sewer rental revenues for
the ensuing year shall be computed by the Director of Finance to assist
the Township Manager and Board of Commissioners in its enactment of
the ensuing year's budget. The estimated revenues shall be calculated
by multiplying the number of thousands of gallons of water used by
each property for the preceding twelve-month-consecutive period ending
September 30 as furnished by the water company times the amount of
charge per 1,000 gallons of water as hereinbefore provided. It shall
be the duty of the Township Secretary to certify a copy of the ordinance
fixing the annual sewer rental or charge for the ensuing year to the
Director of Finance.
[Amended 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 1960; 6-9-2014 by Ord. No. 2718]
The Township does not prepare final sewer bills, and, therefore,
at the time of property transfer, the entire sewer rental should be
apportioned in a like manner as real estate taxes, as per normal practice
at settlement.
[Amended 6-9-2014 by Ord.
No. 2718]
A.
The Director
of Finance is hereby charged with the duties of collecting all sewer
charges and is authorized to adopt such regulations with respect hereto
as may, in his or her discretion, seem fit and proper.
B.
A two-percent discount shall be applied to all bills paid within 60 days from the date of the bill. The face amount of the bills shall be due and payable on or after 60 days from the date of the bill. If said bills are not paid on or before 120 days from the date of the bills, an additional penalty of 10% shall be added. Delinquent accounts that are assigned to special counsel for collection are subject to the procedures, interest, schedule of attorney fees and charges as established in Chapter 63, Collection Procedures, Article I, Unpaid Sewer and Trash Accounts.
[Added 9-8-2015 by Ord. No. 2762]
[Added 7-30-1979 by Ord. No. 1752; amended 6-9-2014 by Ord. No. 2718]
The annual sewer charge for homes with a well
water source and, therefore, not serviced by the water company, shall
be calculated by multiplying the same rate (per 1,000 gallons) as
established annually by ordinance of the Board of Commissioners by
the amount of average annual water use (in gallons, per person) as
computed by Aqua PA in its most recently published sustainability
report as of September 30 of each year. Property owners are required
to complete a biannual statement to the Township attesting to the
number of individuals residing at the property being sourced by well
water.
[Amended 6-9-2014 by Ord.
No. 2718]
It shall be the duty of the Director of Finance
to keep full, accurate and complete records of all sewer rentals or
charges, bills, receipts, payments and transmittals of money to the
Township.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Section 14, as amended,
which immediately followed this section and dealt with the due date
for payment of bills and collection of unpaid bills, was superseded
by the current annual Sewer Rental Ordinance.
The foregoing directions as to the time in which
to procure information from the water company and other sources and
the time in which to adopt annual ordinances and of the times in which
to mail out bills shall be considered directory and not mandatory,
and the failure to do one or some or all of said acts on time shall
not invalidate any ordinance passed and shall not invalidate any bill
rendered and shall not invalidate or forgo the collection of any sewer
rental or charge. This article, when referring to sewers, sewage system
or sewage treatment works, is intended to mean sanitary sewers, sanitary
sewage system and sanitary sewage treatment works and is not intended
to include or relate to surface water treatment.
No sewer rental is hereby imposed upon properties
outside the Township from which sewage is discharged into sewers of
the Township under an agreement between the Township and any other
political subdivision of the commonwealth nor upon the properties
within the Township not receiving sewer service from the Township
facilities.
