(A) Policy statement. To ensure a fair distribution of system costs among its customers, it is the policy of the town to require that every customer have its own meter and that each customer represent an individual water user, consisting of a single commercial unit or a single residential living unit. Since the town recognizes that certain current customers’ water connections may not conform to this policy, the following rules seek to balance the need for implementation of this policy with the costs which might result if immediate and full compliance were required, while ensuring that customers are treated in a fair and uniform way in sharing the costs of the town’s water system.
(B) Meters for commercial developments. In accordance with the following rules and at the times specified herein, each commercial unit shall have a separate meter installed, and each commercial customer’s service must be separately metered at a single delivery and metering point. For purposes of this section, a commercial “unit” consists of each commercial use separately classified under the North Carolina Rate Discharge Schedule. For example, each separate bay, retail store, office, restaurant, and the like, within a shopping center or mall, and every such unit existing on a single parcel of property, is considered a separate commercial unit. A commercial “development” consists of each separate parcel of land upon which there is one or more commercial units, excluding mixed-use developments as defined herein.
(1) New water service will only be provided to a commercial unit constructed, erected or relocated at or to a location where no prior commercial unit existed if the unit is individually metered for water service. Each new unit constructed, erected or relocated is required to have its own individual meter.
(2) Before any new water service will be provided or current service maintained to an existing commercial development which has been repaired, replaced, renovated, or reconstructed, in which the total cost of all repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction exceeds 50% of the value of the existing development, each and every commercial unit within the commercial development shall be separately metered. However, if the Administrator determines that the configuration of the existing commercial development is such that the costs involved in installing individual meters is so excessive as to significantly outweigh the interests of the town in individual metering, he may waive this requirement in whole or in part.
(a) For purposes of this section, “the total cost of all repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction” shall be the actual cost of the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction. “Actual cost” includes the cost of all materials and services utilized to accomplish the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction, including, but not limited to sales tax, the costs of design, engineering fees, and all construction costs, whether undertaken at one time or in stages extending over a period of up to two years or such longer period as is authorized by any single special use permit, special use permit modification, building permit, or conditional zoning district approval or modification, as applicable.
(b) For purposes of this section, the “value of the existing development” shall be considered the value of the property, as determined by the Watauga County Tax Administrator and reflected in the tax rolls of Watauga County, North Carolina, at the time the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction is commenced.
(3) Although an existing, non-conforming, commercial development in which separate commercial units receive water service through a single meter may continue to receive water service until such time, if any, that the development must install individual meters in accordance with this section, the minimum water and sewer fees for each meter which serves multiple commercial units shall be the amount of the minimum fees which would apply if each separate commercial unit had its own meter, sized according to the size of the water line actually serving each separate commercial unit.
(C) Meters for mixed-use developments. Mixed use developments are individual parcels of land upon which both one or more commercial units and one or more residential units exist. For purposes of this section, a “residential unit” is each separate dwelling unit, consisting of a room or group of rooms within a structure forming a single independent habitable unit and containing independent kitchen, sanitary, and sleeping facilities. In accordance with the following rules and at the times specified herein, each commercial unit and each residential unit within a mixed-use development shall have a separate meter installed and must be separately metered at a single delivery and metering point.
(1) New water service will only be provided to a commercial or residential unit constructed, erected or relocated in a mixed unit development at or to a location where no prior like (commercial to commercial; residential to residential) commercial or residential unit existed, if the unit is individually metered for water service. Each new unit constructed, erected or relocated is required to have its own individual meter.
(2) Before any new water service will be provided or current service maintained to an existing mixed use development in which each separate commercial and residential unit not individually metered for water service is repaired, replaced, renovated, or reconstructed, and the total cost of all repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction of the commercial portion of the development exceeds 50% of the value of the existing commercial development, each and every commercial unit within the commercial development must be separately metered. When an existing mixed use development in which each separate commercial and residential unit not individually metered for water service is repaired, replaced, renovated, or reconstructed, and the total cost of all repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction of the residential portion of the development exceeds 50% of the value of the existing residential development, each and every residential unit within the mixed use development shall be separately metered before any new water service will be provided or current service maintained. However, if the Administrator determines that the configuration of the existing commercial or residential portion of the development is such that the costs involved in installing individual meters is so excessive as to significantly outweigh the interests of the town in individual metering, he or she may waive this requirement in whole or in part.
(a) For purposes of this section, “the total cost of all repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction” shall be the actual cost of the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction. “Actual cost” includes the cost of all materials and services utilized to accomplish the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction, including, but not limited to sales tax, the costs of design, engineering fees, and all construction costs, whether undertaken at one time or in stages extending over a period of up to two years or such longer period as is authorized by any single special use permit, special use permit modification, building permit, or conditional zoning district approval or modification, as applicable.
(b) For purposes of this sub-section, the “value of the existing . . . development,” whether referring to the commercial portion or residential portion of the mixed use development, shall be considered the value of that particular portion of the property, as determined by the Watauga County Tax Administrator and reflected in the tax rolls of Watauga County, North Carolina, at the time the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction is commenced, or if the Tax Administrator has not assigned separate values to the commercial and residential portions of the property, the appraised value of the individual portions, as provided by the customer. Should the Tax Administrator not have assigned separate values and no appraisal be provided, the Administrator will pro-rate the value of each portion based upon the square footage of each portion compared to the whole development to calculate the applicable value.
(3) Although an existing, non-conforming mixed use development in which separate commercial and/or residential units receive water service through a single meter may continue to receive water service until such time, if any, that the development must install individual meters in accordance with this section, the minimum water and sewer fees for each meter which serves multiple commercial and/or residential units shall be the amount of the minimum fees which would apply if each separate commercial and/or residential unit had its own meter, sized according to the size of the water line actually serving each separate commercial and/or residential unit.
(D) Meters for residential developments. In accordance with the following rules and at the time specified herein, each residential unit shall have installed a separate meter, and each residential customer’s service must be separately metered at a single delivery and metering point. For purposes of this section, a “residential unit” is each separate dwelling unit, consisting of a room or group of rooms within a structure forming a single independent habitable unit containing independent kitchen, sanitary, and sleeping facilities.
(1) New water service will only be provided to a residential unit constructed, erected or relocated at or to a location where no prior residential unit existed if the unit is individually metered for water service. Each new unit constructed, erected or relocated is required to have its own individual meter.
(2) Before any new water service will be provided or current service maintained to an existing residential development in which each separate residential unit not individually metered for water service is repaired, replaced, renovated, or reconstructed, and the total cost of all repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction exceeds 50% of the value of the existing development, each and every residential unit within the residential development shall be separately metered. However, if the Administrator determines that the configuration of the existing residential development is such that the costs involved in installing individual meters is so excessive as to significantly outweigh the interests of the Town in individual metering, he may waive this requirement in whole or in part.
(a) For purposes of this section, “the total cost of all repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction” shall be the actual cost of the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction. “Actual cost” includes the cost of all materials and services utilized to accomplish the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction, including, but not limited to sales tax, the costs of design, engineering fees, and all construction costs, whether undertaken at one time or in stages extending over a period of up to two years or such longer period as is authorized by any single special use permit, special use permit modification, building permit, or conditional zoning district approval or modification, as applicable.
(b) For purposes of this section, the “value of the existing development” shall be considered the value of the property, as determined by the Watauga County Tax Administrator and reflected in the tax rolls of Watauga County, North Carolina, at the time the repair, replacement, renovation or reconstruction is commenced.
(3) Although an existing, non-conforming residential development in which separate residential units receive water service through a single meter may continue to receive water service until such time, if any, that the development must install individual meters in accordance with this section, the minimum water and sewer fees for each meter which serves multiple residential units shall be the amount of the minimum fees which would apply if each separate residential unit had its own 3/4" meter.
(Ord. passed 7-17-2012)