The village hereby establishes and imposes sewer rents
for the use of the sewer system or any part or parts thereof applicable
both to users located within the village and to users located outside
the village, whether within sewer districts or otherwise, and establishes
and imposes such sewer rents as a charge on the real property within
the village using such sewer system.
If a water rent is levied or charged against any real
property or the owners or occupants of such real property and such
real property is served by the sewer system, the sewer rent against
such real property shall be based on the consumption of water on the
premises served by the sewer system or such part or parts thereof
and levied or charged against such real property or the owners or
occupants of such real property. Such rate shall be set by resolution
of the Village Board. For consumers of water whom are billed the minimum
water charge, the sewer rent shall be determined by applying the rate
to such minimum water usage.
In the case of owners or occupants of real property
who are not consumers of water but are connected to the sewer system,
the sewer rent charge applicable to such real property shall be set
by resolution of the Village Board.
In the event that the water billing for any period
is estimated, then the sewer charge for such period shall be based
on the estimated billing, and any adjustment necessary shall be made
upon the next billing for which an actual reading of the meter is
made.
Major industrial users shall be charged as determined
by a service contract for the conveyance of industrial wastewater
entered into between the Village of Fort Plain and the industrial
user or users. For purposes of this Article, major industrial user
shall be defined as an industry discharging an average of 25,000 or
more gallons of wastewater per day of operation.
All sewer rents, with the exception of such rents
collected from industrial users, shall be billed due and payable at
the office of the Village Clerk quarterly on the first day of January,
the first day of April, the first day of July, and the first day of
October of each year.
Failure of any property owner to receive a bill promptly
shall not excuse nonpayment of the same, and in the event that the
property owner fails to receive a bill promptly, he shall demand the
same at the Village Clerk's office.
Penalties for late payment or nonpayment of sewer
rents shall be imposed in the event that such sewer rents are not
paid within 30 days of when presented. Penalties for late payment
or nonpayment of sewer rents shall be 10% if not paid within 30 days
of when such bills are mailed to the property owner. Sewer rents remaining
unpaid as of February 15th will be relevied on the Village taxes for
the following June. A late fee notice will also be charged at $1 per
service.
The sewer rent shall be billed, together with the
water charges, on a combined bill with separate designations for the
sewer and water charges; provided, however, that the Board of Trustees
may provide by resolution for the separate billing of water and sewer
charges if such is deemed advisable by the Board.
Sewer rents shall constitute a lien upon the real
property served by the sewer system or such part or parts thereof
for which sewer rents are hereby established and imposed and shall
constitute a lien upon the real property against which they have been
imposed. The lien shall be prior to and superior to every other lien
or claim except the lien of an existing tax assessment or other lawful
charge imposed by or for the state or a political subdivision or district
thereof.
Unpaid sewer rents; levy with village taxes. The Village
Clerk shall annually certify the amounts of all unpaid sewer rents,
including penalties, with a description of the real property affected
thereby and shall present such certificate to the Board of Trustees
and shall enter the same or an abstract thereof in the minutes of
the meeting. The Board of Trustees shall levy such amounts against
the real property liable therefor as a part of the annual village
tax levy, setting forth such amounts in separate columns in the annual
tax roll.