(A) Establishment. There shall be, and there is, hereby established, charges and rates for the purpose of improving, caring for and protecting the city’s sewerage system. The sewer maintenance charge shall be based upon the amount of water consumed by each water user as shown by water meters as follows.
(B) Monthly billing.
(1) Beginning on June 1, 2022, an annual amount equal to 35% of the total amount billed for water usage shall be charged and billed monthly to every consumer billed for water by the city as a sewer maintenance charge.
(2) Beginning on June 1, 2023, an annual amount equal to 50% of the total amount billed for water usage shall be charged and billed monthly to every consumer billed for water by the city as a sewer maintenance charge.
(C) Payment and delinquency of sewer maintenance charge; notice of lien.
(1) Payment of sewer maintenance charge. The sewer maintenance charge shall be billed as a separate charge on every water user’s water bill. The sewer maintenance charge is due when water bills are rendered and no discounts shall be allowed. Each and every bill rendered shall be plainly marked with a date after which a penalty as set forth in the city’s fee and
fine schedule shall be added, and each bill shall be mailed or otherwise rendered to the consumer not less than ten days prior to such penalty date. If such bill is not paid on or prior to such penalty date, such penalty shall be added and, thereafter, such bill shall not be considered paid unless and until the original amount, plus the penalty is fully paid.
(2) Delinquency of sewer maintenance charge. When the sewer maintenance bill for any premises remains unpaid for ten days after the due date, the account shall be delinquent.
(3) Notice of delinquency. When a delinquency occurs, the city shall give written notice to the person, firm or corporation in whose name the account is registered in the records of the City Department of Municipal Services, and like notice shall be given by the city to the owner of the premises in connection with which water is used, if such owner is other than the user and if his or her name and address is registered in the city’s records in the Department of Municipal Services. No notice to the owner is required if the owner’s name and address is not registered in the city’s records in the Department of Municipal Services.
(4) Form of notice of delinquency. The form of notice of delinquency as aforesaid shall be in such form as the Department of Municipal Services may from time to time prescribe and shall inform the person notified of the amount of the delinquency, and shall also inform such person that water service to the premises shall be discontinued if the delinquency continues to exist at the end of five days from the date of mailing of said notice.
(5) Right of appeal. Any water consumer whose account is delinquent as aforesaid, or any tenant whose water service is to be discontinued because of the delinquency of the owner of the premises wherein such tenant resides, may appeal the question of delinquency or make a request for independent service to the Municipal Services Committee. The Municipal Services Committee shall have the authority to make such decisions and to enter such orders as may be appropriate to resolve the appeal or request for independent service.
(6) Disconnection. In each case where delinquent sewer maintenance bids are not paid within the five-day period above established and the Municipal Services Committee has not entered an order to the contrary, the water being furnished to such premises shall be shut off by the city. Service shall not thereafter be restored until such time as the delinquent bill is fully paid, and a deposit in an amount equal to two and one-half times the average monthly or quarterly bill, as the case may be, is deposited with the City Collector, and the turn on fee set forth in the city’s fee and fine schedule is paid.
(7) Imposition of lien. Further, in each case where a delinquent sewer maintenance account shall not have been paid within the five- day period established and the Municipal Service Committee has not entered an order to the contrary, the Superintendent of Public Works shall cause a notice of lien to be prepared and filed in the office of the Recorder of Deeds of the county. Such notice of lien shall comply with applicable state law.
(Prior Code, § 52.26) (Ord. 06-007, passed 1-24-2006; Ord. 2014-007, passed 2-11-2014; Ord. 2015-033, passed 11-10-2015; Ord. 2022-034, passed 5-10-2022; Ord. 2022-047, passed 9-13-2022)