[R.O. 2009 §715.150; CC 1976 §26-181; Ord. No. 972 §2, 2-21-1979; Ord. No. 1790 Art. 1, 10-19-1998]
It is determined and declared to be necessary and conducive
to the protection of the public health, safety, welfare, and convenience
of the City to collect charges for the use of and the services rendered
by the sanitary sewerage system of the City from the owners or occupants
of each and every lot, parcel of real estate or building that is connected
with the sanitary sewerage system or which discharges sanitary sewerage,
industrial wastes, water or other liquids, either directly or indirectly,
into the said sanitary sewerage system. The proceeds of such charges
so derived will be used by the City to pay all expenses associated
with said sanitary sewerage system.
[R.O. 2009 §715.160; CC 1976 §26-182; Ord. No. 972 §10, 2-21-1979; Ord. No. 1790 Art. 2, 10-19-1998]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning
of terms used in this Article shall be as follows:
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biological oxidation
of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five (5)
days at twenty degrees Celsius (20°C), expressed in milligrams
per liter (mg/l).
Any customer not meeting the definition of a residential
and industrial customer.
Any customer that discharges industrial wastes to the sanitary
sewerage system.
The liquid wastes from industrial manufacturing processes,
trade, or business as distinct from sanitary sewage.
Wastewater that has a BOD concentration of not more than
three hundred (300) mg/l, and a suspended solids concentration of
not more than three hundred fifty (350) mg/l.
All expenditures during the useful life of the sanitary sewerage
system for material, labor, utilities, and other items which are necessary
for managing and maintaining the sewerage system to achieve the capacity
and performance for which said system was designed and constructed.
Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories,
or appurtenances which are necessary during the useful life of the
sanitary sewerage system to maintain the capacity and performance
for which said system was designed and constructed. The term "operation
and maintenance" includes replacement.
Any one (1) dwelling or individually metered duplex or apartment
house or other single buildings used for residential purposes.
A combination of the water-carried wastes from residences,
business buildings, institutions, and industrial establishments, together
with such ground, surface, and stormwaters as may be present.
Any devices and systems for the collection, transportation,
storage, treatment and disposal of sanitary sewerage, industrial wastes,
water or other liquids.
The total charge which is levied in a proportional and adequate
manner for the cost of debt retirement of bonded capital and operation,
maintenance, and replacement of the sanitary sewerage system.
Is mandatory; MAY — Is permissive.
Solids that either float on the surface of, or are in suspension
in water, sewage or other liquids, and which are removable by laboratory
filtering.
The estimated period during which the sanitary sewerage system
will be operated.
That portion of the total sewer service charge which is levied
in a proportional and adequate manner for the cost of operation, maintenance,
and replacement of the sanitary sewerage system.
A water volume measuring and recording device, furnished
and/or installed by the City or furnished and/or installed by a user
and approved by the City.
[R.O. 2009 §715.170; Ord. No. 1790 Art. 3, 10-19-1998]
A.
The
user charge system shall generate annual revenues to pay the costs
of annual operation and maintenance including replacement and cost
associated with debt retirement of bonded capital associated with
financing the sanitary sewerage system of the City which the City
may by ordinance designate to be paid by the user charge system. That
portion of the total sewer service charge which is designated for
operation and maintenance including replacement of the sanitary sewerage
system shall be established by this Section.
B.
That portion of the total user charge collected, which is designated for the operation and maintenance including replacement purposes as established in Section 715.180, shall be deposited in a separate non-lapsing fund known as the Operation, Maintenance, and Replacement Fund and will be kept in two (2) primary accounts as follows:
1.
The Operation and Maintenance Account shall be an account designated
for the specific purpose of defraying operation and maintenance costs
(excluding replacement) of the sanitary sewerage system. Deposits
in the Operation and Maintenance Account shall be made annually for
the operation and maintenance revenue in the amount of two hundred
six thousand five hundred fifty dollars ($206,550.00).
2.
The Replacement Account shall be an account designated for the purpose
of ensuring replacement needs over the useful life of the sanitary
sewerage system. Deposits in the Replacement Account shall be made
annually for the replacement revenue in the amount of six thousand
six hundred eighty-five dollars ($6,685.00).
C.
Fiscal
year-end balances in the Operation and Maintenance Account and the
Replacement Account shall be carried over to the same accounts in
each subsequent fiscal year, and shall be used for no other purpose
than those designated for these accounts. Monies which have been transferred
from other sources to meet temporary shortages in the Operation, Maintenance,
and Replacement Fund shall be returned to their respective accounts
upon appropriate adjustment of the user charge rates for operation,
maintenance, and replacement. The user charge rate(s) shall be adjusted
such that the transferred monies will be returned to their respective
accounts within the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which
the monies were borrowed.
[R.O. 2009 §715.180; Ord. No. 1790 Art. 4, 10-19-1998; Ord. No. 2383 §§1—2, 7-19-2010]
A.
Except
as otherwise herein provided, user charges shall be based on the quantity
of water used from any source or sources of supply as measured by
a water meter or meters acceptable to the City.
B.
Other
methods by which user charges may be based include the following:
1.
On the quantity of sanitary sewage, industrial wastes, water or other
liquids entering the sanitary sewerage system of the City as measured
by a sewage meter acceptable to the City.
2.
On the quantity of water used as determined by the Superintendent
of Water and Wastewater or other authorized representative of the
City.
3.
On the quantity of sanitary sewage, industrial waste, water or other
liquids entering the sanitary sewerage system of the City as determined
by the Superintendent of Water and Wastewater or other authorized
representative of the City.
4.
On the percentage of the metered water used entering the sanitary
sewerage system as determined by the Superintendent of Water and Wastewater
or other authorized representative of the City.
C.
Computation Of Residential Charges. Residential billing
shall be determined as follows:
1.
Basis of residential customer user charge. Except
as otherwise provided herein, user charges for a residential customer
shall be based on water meter readings for said customer. Such rates
and charges shall be applied to all future consumption except as otherwise
provided herein.
In order that there may be no user charge to residential water
consumer for water used in lawn sprinkling, garden watering, etc.,
the sewer service bill which will be rendered during the months of
March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November
shall be in the amount established by the average of the sewer service
billings for meter reading periods ending in the preceding months
of December, January and February. In computing said average, any
month or months shall be disregarded that do not reflect a complete
month or months of water service. If the water consumption record
for residence upon its first becoming subject to the rates and charges
established in this Article does not include a reading taken in December,
January or February, the owner or occupant of such residence shall
be billed the minimum for any sewer services rendered in the remaining
meter reading periods through the one ending in November and shall
thereafter be billed on the basis of actual water meter readings until
such readings are recorded which reflect three (3) full months of
water consumption for said residence during the meter reading periods
ending in December, January and February.
Should inclement weather prohibit the reading of water meters
for any one (1) or all of the three (3) months of December, January
or February used for computing the user charge, then the meter reading
for the period ending in March may also be included and a four (4)
month average used to compute said user charge.
2.
Other methods by which residential billing may be determined include
the following:
a.
Agreement between City and user. In the event that
the basis for user charges for a residence is established by agreement
between the City and user, the agreement shall be reviewed annually
by the City and may be so reviewed at such times as the City in its
discretion may permit or require.
b.
Right of owner to elect basis of charges. Nothing
herein contained shall prevent the owner or occupant of any residential
premises from electing to be charged for sewer service on the basis
of water used as determined by meter readings, if such owner or occupant
makes application in writing to the Superintendent of Water and Wastewater
to pay on this basis and agrees to pay on said basis for at least
one (1) year from the date of the next billing following the date
of application.
D.
Computation Of Industrial And Commercial Charges.
1.
Except as otherwise provided herein, industrial and commercial customers shall be billed for water used on a month-by-month basis as determined by this Section. Monthly user charge will be computed by rates set forth in Subsection (G) of this Section.
2.
If an industrial or commercial customer has a consumptive use of water or in some manner uses water which is not returned to the sanitary sewerage system of the City, industrial and commercial customers shall be billed for water used on a month-by-month basis as determined by Subsection (B) of this Section.
E.
Billing Of Sewer Service Charges. Sewer service charges
shall be prepared and billed by the Municipal Utilities Department
office of the City and shall be in the manner provided by the regulations
of the said department.
1.
First billing. The first (1st) billing may be for
a period of more or less than one (1) full month in order to make
the collection period correspond with the water meter readings of
the City.
2.
Conformity with meter readings. Sewer service billing
schedules shall conform to the meter reading schedules of the Water
Department of municipal utilities.
3.
Time of billing. Sewer service charges shall be
billed against the user at the same time as the water bills rendered
by the municipal utilities and in such manner as to show the sewer
service charge as easily distinguishable from the charge rendered
for water usage.
4.
Due date. The sewer service charge shall be due
and payable at the same time and in the same manner as the user's
water bill.
F.
Adjustment Of Charges. When it appears that an inequity
has occurred, the Superintendent of Water and Wastewater or that person's
authorized representative may submit a report of the circumstances
and make recommendations for adjustments of sewer service charges
to the Board of Aldermen. Any recommendations for adjustments shall
be effective; provided however, in cases where the Water Department
of Municipal Utilities has adjusted water meter readings, such readings
so adjusted may be accepted in the determination of water usage without
submission of the cases for action by the Board of Aldermen.
G.
Schedule of Sewer Service Charges.
[Ord. No. 2575 §§1 —
2, 3-16-2015; Ord. No. 2921, 12-20-2021; Ord. No. 2970, 10-17-2022; Ord.
No. 3023, 10-16-2023]
1.
The minimum sewer service bill shall be sixty-five dollars ($65.00) per month. In addition, each customer shall pay a user charge for operation and maintenance, including replacement, of three dollars ($3.00) per one hundred (100) cubic feet of water used (or wastewater) as determined by Subsection (A) of this Section.
2.
For those customers which contribute wastewater, the strength
of which is greater than normal domestic wastewater, a surcharge in
addition to the normal user charge will be collected. The surcharge
for operation and maintenance including replacement is:
[R.O. 2009 §715.190; Ord. No. 1790 Art. 5, 10-19-1998]
A.
Sewer Connections. Application for sewer service shall be made in the manner provided for in Article I of this Chapter. No sanitary sewerage service shall be furnished free of charge to any person, firm or corporation.
B.
Penalty. If any customer receiving service from the sanitary
sewerage system of the City shall fail to pay their bill for a period
of thirty (30) days after the rendition thereof, such customer shall
not be permitted or entitled to receive water or sewerage services
from the City and the water services to such premises shall be disconnected
and shall not be re-connected until all past due bills for both water
and sewerage services are paid in full together with a re-connection
charge.
[R.O. 2009 §715.200; Ord. No. 1790 Art. 6, 10-19-1998]
A.
The
City shall review the user charge system annually and revise user
charge rates as necessary to ensure that the system generates adequate
revenues to pay the cost of operation and maintenance including replacement
and that the system continues to provide for the proportional distribution
of operation and maintenance including replacement costs among users.
B.
The
City will notify each user at least annually, in conjunction with
a regular bill, of the rate being charged for operation and maintenance
including replacement of the sanitary sewerage system.
