(a) Residential properties wastewater rates. The rates due and payable to the city by each owner within the city for wastewater discharged to the sanitary sewer system shall be implemented as follows on January 1, 2011, or as soon after as practicable. Prior to January 1, 2011, the monthly charges listed in § 11.64(a) before the 2010 amendments applies.
(1) Single-family residential properties (one meter per unit). Single-family residences, town houses, row houses: wastewater rate per 1,000 gallons usage based upon the metered water usage for the winter usage period, as described in § 11.29(c).
(2) Multi-family residential properties (one meter per building). Apartment houses, condominiums: wastewater rate per 1,000 gallons usage based upon metered water usage.
(b) Residential minimum wastewater charges. The rates provided in subsection (a) above are subject to a minimum charge to each owner or other account holder for each period during which wastewater service is available, as follows.
Single-family residential properties | 2,000 gallons per month for properties with winter usage period established |
5,000 gallons per month for properties with no winter usage period established or with an unmetered connection. | |
Multi-family residential properties | 500 gallons per month times the number of finished units |
(c) Industrial and commercial property rates and minimum charges. The wastewater rate for industrial and commercial properties shall be the wastewater rate as listed in City Code Appendix A - Water Rates And Wastewater Rates table per 1,000 gallons, based upon the metered water usage with a minimum charge of the wastewater rate times 4,000 gallons per month. Owners must pay the total amount set forth in the bill on or before the due date listed on the bill. Failure to make payment by the due date listed on the bill will result in a late fee assessment of 5% of the total amount due and owing
(d) Combination establishments. Establishments which are a combination residential and commercial shall be charged per unit in accordance with subsection (a) above, or per 1,000 gallons in accordance with subsection (b) above, whichever is higher.
(e) Sewer availability charge.
(1) For the purpose of paying costs of reserve capacity allocated to the city each year by the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, there is hereby established a sewer availability charge for:
(A) The availability of treatment works and interceptors comprising the metropolitan disposal system; and
(B) Connections, direct and indirect, to the metropolitan disposal system.
(2) The charge is imposed on each building or structure in the city, and on each connection to the disposal system, construction of which is commenced on or after August 1, 1975. The charge shall be payable upon the issuance of a building permit for all building permits issued after August 1, 1975. The charge shall be payable upon the issuance of a sewer connection permit for all existing units, or for those units for which building permits were issued prior to August 1, 1975.
(3) The charge for each building or structure shall be equal to the number of units of sewage volume it will discharge, multiplied by the current year SAC rate mandated by the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services. The number of SAC units shall be determined as follows:
(A) Single-family houses, townhouses and duplex units shall each comprise one unit;
(B) Apartments and mobile homes shall each comprise 80% of a unit;
(C) Other buildings and structures shall be assigned one unit for each 100,000 gallons per year of flow (or part thereof) which it is estimated they will discharge; and
(D) Multiple-family public housing units and multiple-family housing units (as defined in § 21.601) subsidized under any federal program for low and moderate income housing shall be counted as 75% of the unit equivalent for that type of housing.
(4) The city shall provide information necessary for the computation of the number of units assignable to the building or structure in question on the building permit and sewer connection application forms and shall collect the applicable charge before issuance of the permit, except as otherwise allowed to be deferred pursuant to a city policy authorizing sewer availability charge payment deferrals. The city shall make such information available to the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services upon request. If upon filing a report covering such permit with the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, the Council determines that a greater number of units is assignable to the building or structure in question, any additional amount of cost allocated to the city as a result shall be paid by the person or company to whom the permit was granted.
(f) Permit fee for sewer connections. The permit fee for a new or existing connection to the sewer system shall be as listed in City Code Appendix A - Permit Fees For Sewer Connections table.
(g) City Sewer Availability Charge (City SAC).
(1) Purpose and intent. To protect the public health, safety and welfare, a City Sewer Availability Charge (City SAC) is established. The City SAC provides a method of funding future capacity expansions within the city's sanitary sewer system that is both an equitable charge for the use and availability of facilities, and proportionate to the impact of the payor's use as reflected in the level of additional sewer flow generated by various types of development or redevelopment. To ensure at least rough proportionality, the asset renewal portion of capacity enhancing sewer projects is calculated separately to be covered by utility rates rather than the City SAC. An essential nexus exists between the City SAC, the demands placed on the system by individual development or redevelopment projects, and the need to provide a sewer system that can accommodate future flows without surcharge.
(2) When required. A City SAC, established in Appendix A, must be paid prior to issuance of a building permit for any development or building modification generating additional sewer flow. The City SAC for each building or structure is based on the additional sewer flow generated as calculated by Metropolitan Council Environmental Services in its determination of the Metropolitan SAC (see subsection (e) above).
(3) Calculation methodology. City SAC rates will be reviewed annually by staff in conjunction with the annual review of utility rates. Amendments to the City SAC rate must be reviewed and approved by the City Council. City SAC rates are established by:
(A) Calculating the costs of all sewer capacity enhancing projects needed over the next capacity forecasting period. The capacity forecasting period will be determined by staff, based on development forecasts and planning-level data for sewer capacity enhancing projects.
(B) Subtracting from the number in (A) above the portion of those sewer capacity enhancing projects that contribute to asset renewal based on an analysis of average remaining useful life across the projects.
(C) Dividing the number in (B) above by the number of SAC units the city forecasts within the same capacity forecasting period.