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City of Mount Vernon, MO
Lawrence County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[R.O. 2004 § 715.010; Ord. No. 13.57 § 1, 12-8-1992; Ord. No. 13.72 Art. I, 8-23-2005; Ord. No. 13.76 § 2, 7-11-2006; Ord. No. 13.79 § 2, 7-26-2007; Ord. No. 13.80 Art. I §§ 1 — 2, 9-23-2008]
A. 
The rates set forth herein shall become effective upon the first day of the month next following any order or judgment of a court, or any binding ruling or decision of the Department of Revenue, or any other event or occurrence that results in the City of Mount Vernon not being able to collect or being denied the proceeds of any sales tax currently paid to the City of Mount Vernon that is currently budgeted to or used for the City's combined waterworks and sewerage system.
B. 
It is determined and declared to be necessary and conducive to the protection of the public health, safety, welfare, and convenience of the City of Mount Vernon to collect charges from all users who contribute wastewater to the City of Mount Vernon's treatment works. The proceeds of such charges so derived will be used for the purpose of operating, maintaining, and retiring the debt for the City's combined waterworks and sewerage system.
[R.O. 2004 § 715.020; Ord. No. 13.57 § 2, 12-8-1992; Ord. No. 13.72 Art. II, 8-23-2005; Ord. No. 13.76 § 3, 7-11-2006; Ord. No. 13.79 § 3, 7-26-2007; Ord. No. 13.80 Art. II §§ 1 — 11, 9-23-2008]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this Chapter shall be as follows:
BOD (denoting BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical 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).
NORMAL DOMESTIC WASTEWATER
Wastewater that has a BOD concentration of not more than two hundred fifty (250) mg/l and a suspended solids concentration of not more than two hundred fifty (250) mg/l.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
All expenditures during the useful life of the treatment works for materials, labor, utilities, and other items which are necessary managing and maintaining the sewage works to achieve the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed.
REPLACEMENT
Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories, or appurtenances which are necessary during the useful life of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed. The term "operation and maintenance" includes replacement.
RESIDENTIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Any contributor to Mount Vernon's treatment works whose lot, parcel of real estate, or building is used for domestic dwelling purposes only.
SHALL
Is mandatory; "may" is permissive.
SS (denoting SUSPENDED SOLIDS)
The 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.
TREATMENT WORKS
Any devices and systems for the storage, treatment, recycling, and reclamation of municipal sewage, domestic sewage, or liquid industrial wastes. These include interceptor sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, individual systems, pumping, power, and other equipment and their appurtenances; extensions, improvements, remodeling, additions, and alterations thereof; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled supply such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; and any works, including site acquisition of land, that will be an integral part of the treatment process or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment; or any other method or system for preventing, abating, reducing, storing, treating, separating, or disposing of municipal waste or industrial waste, including waste in combined storm water and sanitary sewer systems.
USEFUL LIFE
The estimated period during which the treatment works will be operated.
USER CHARGE
That portion of the total wastewater service charge which is levied in a proportional and adequate manner for the cost of operation, maintenance, and replacement of the wastewater treatment works.
WATER METER
A water volume measuring and recording device, furnished and installed by the City of Mount Vernon, the cost of which is billed back to the user.
[R.O. 2004 § 715.030; Ord. No. 13.57 § 3, 12-8-1992; Ord. No. 13.72 Art. III, 8-23-2005; Ord. No. 13.76 § 4, 7-11-2006; Ord. No. 13.79 § 4, 7-26-2007; Ord. No. 13.80 Art. III §§ 1 — 3, 9-23-2008]
A. 
The user charge system shall generate adequate 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 treatment works which the City of Mount Vernon may by ordinance designate to be paid by the user charge system. That portion of the total user charge which is designated for operation and maintenance, including replacement of the treatment works shall be established by this Chapter.
B. 
That portion of the total user charge collected which is designated for the operation and maintenance, including replacement purposes as established in Section 715.040 shall be deposited in a separate non-lapsing fund known as the "Operation and 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 cost (excluding replacement) of the treatment works. Deposits in the Operation and Maintenance Account shall be made monthly from the operation and maintenance revenue in the amount of four hundred ninety-two thousand five hundred seventy-three dollars ($492,573.00) annually.
2. 
The Replacement Account shall be an account designed for the purpose of ensuring replacement needs over the useful life of the treatment works. Deposits in the Replacement Account shall be made monthly from the replacement revenue in the amount of forty-seven thousand three hundred twenty-five dollars ($47,325.00) annually of which part comes from the bond coverage and part from the user rates.
C. 
Fiscal year-end balances in the Operation and Maintenance Account and the Replacement Account shall be carried over to same accounts in each subsequent fiscal year, and shall be used for no other purposes 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. 2004 § 715.040; Ord. No. 13.57 § 4, 12-8-1992; Ord. No. 13.72 Art. IV, 8-23-2005; Ord. No. 13.76 § 5, 7-11-2006; Ord. No. 13.79 § 5, 7-26-2007; Ord. No. 13.80 Art. IV §§ 1 — 3, 9-23-2008]
A. 
The City shall base residential rates based on the average the three (3) months of water use determined to be the most appropriate. All other users will be billed monthly based on the minimum bill plus the appropriate volumetric charge. [Ord. No. 13.96 § 2, 9-10-2013; Ord. No. 13.99 § 2, 11-11-2014]
For those users with water meters:
Each user will be charged a monthly minimum as shown below plus a unit charge per one thousand (1,000) gallons of four dollars and fifty-nine cents ($4.59) per thousand gallons.
User
Minimum Charge
All users
$7.28
Class V — Extra Strength Users. The additional charge to users which contribute greater than normal domestic strength wastewater will be:
$0.15/pound BOD
$0.12/pound SS
This charge will be in addition to the monthly minimum plus volumetric charge.
B. 
Any user which discharges any toxic pollutants which cause an increase in the cost of managing the effluent or the sludge from the City of Mount Vernon's treatment works, or any user which discharges any substance which singly or by interaction with other substances causes identifiable increases in the cost of operation, maintenance, or replacement of the treatment works, shall pay for such increased costs. The charge to each such users shall be as determined by the responsible plant operating personnel and approved by the Board of Aldermen.
C. 
The user charge rates established in this Section apply to all users of the City of Mount Vernon's treatment works, regardless of the user's location.
[R.O. 2004 § 715.050; Ord. No. 13.57 § 5, 12-8-1992; Ord. No. 13.72 Art. V, 8-23-2005; Ord. No. 13.76 § 6, 7-11-2006; Ord. No. 13.79 § 6, 7-26-2007; Ord. No. 13.80 Art. V §§ 1 — 2, 9-23-2008]
A. 
All users shall be billed monthly. Meters shall be read on the first and bills sent out on the first of the following month. Payments are due when billings are made. Any payment not received within fifteen (15) days after the billing is made shall be delinquent.
B. 
A late payment penalty of ten percent (10%) of the user charge bill will be added to each delinquent bill. When any bill is not paid by the 20th of the month rendition of water and/or sewer service to such premises shall be discontinued until such bill is paid following due notice. All costs to reconnect shall be the responsibility of the user.
[R.O. 2004 § 715.060; Ord. No. 13.57 § 6, 12-8-1992; Ord. No. 13.72 Art. VI, 8-23-2005; Ord. No. 13.76 § 7, 7-11-2006; Ord. No. 13.79 § 7, 7-26-2007; Ord. No. 13.80 Art. VI §§ 1 — 3, 9-23-2008]
A. 
The City of Mount Vernon 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 costs 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 and user classes.
B. 
The City of Mount Vernon 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 treatment works.
C. 
Connection charges shall be paid to the City of Mount Vernon by any person or entity desiring to connect, tap, or gain access to the sanitary sewer system. Said tap fee shall be paid to the City Clerk in the amount set forth on the Schedule of Fees most recently adopted by the Board of Aldermen.
[Ord. No. 13.92 § 1, 5-28-2013]
1. 
For each lot or parcel improved with a single-family residence, whether constructed before or after the sanitary sewer system, the property owner will have the option of:
a. 
Connection to a gravity sewer: The City will make the tap or the installation of a wye, and the owner will be responsible for the construction and cost to extend a lateral line as required to complete the connection in accordance with the most recently approved standards of material and construction.
b. 
In the event the lot or parcel cannot be served by a gravity sewer, the property owner may purchase, install, and maintain a grinder pump as specified and approved by the Building Code Enforcement Officer or his/her representative.
2. 
Costs of the owner associated with connecting to a pressure sewer shall include acquisition and installation of an approved grinder pump and installation of a pressure line from the grinder pump to the sanitary sewer system in a size approved by the Building Code Enforcement Officer or his/her representative according to the most recently approved standards of material and construction.