(A) Water and sewer charges shall be billed on one bill for each meter connection as applicable to each account. All charges shall be due upon receipt and considered delinquent after the 14th day of the month. All bills shall contain the title, address, and telephone number of the official in charge of billing; the title, address and phone number shall be clearly visible and easily readable. Bills shall be mailed to the customers on or before the fifth day of each month and specify the water consumed, sewer charges, storm sewer charges, and streetlight utility charges in accordance with the current fee schedule set by ordinance of the City Council.
(B) Fees for municipal water and sewer service will be set from time to time by the City Council by resolution or ordinance. Fees will include a basic service charge and a charge based on volume of water used. The basic service charge will be set by the City Council in accordance with the procedures set forth in this section.
(1) Basic service charges for single family residence accounts. The Council shall set a monthly basic service charge to be applied to all single-family residence accounts (the "SFR unit basic service charge").
(2) Basic service charge for all other accounts. Each account that is not a single-family residence account shall pay a basic service charge that is a multiple of the SFR unit basic service charge. The multiple will be based on the actual or projected volume of water usage and the annual system per unit volume (ASPUV). The ASPUV will be set by the City Council in its fee ordinance at an amount which, when applied in accordance with this section, will result in the recovery of a fair and reasonable portion of the costs for the construction, operation and maintenance of the water and sewer systems. The multiple for each account will be determined by dividing the actual or projected annual water usage for that account by the ASPUV, rounded to the nearest whole number (with .5s rounded to the next higher whole number and no number smaller than one). That multiple will be multiplied by the SFR unit basic service charge to determine the monthly basic service charge for that account.
(a) Annual determination of service charges. The basic service charge will be set each year to be in effect for a one-year period, commencing each January 1 based on water usage for the prior 12-month period from October 1 to September 30.
(b) Service charges for accounts with 12 months of meter readings. If 12 months of meter readings are available, the multiple will be based on actual annual water usage.
(c) Service charges for accounts with from three to 12 months of meter readings. If fewer than 12 months, but at least three months, of meter readings are available, the actual water usage shall be annualized and used to determine the multiple for that account.
(d) Service charges for new accounts and accounts with changes in use or structure. For new accounts and changes to the use or structure of the account that require issuance of a building permit, the multiple shall be based on projected water usage determined by the City Administrator or the Administrator's designee after consideration of the square footage and use of the structure and the water usage of other similar uses and structures in the city. This multiple shall be used until the January following the first time when there are at least three months of meter readings at full anticipated use, as of September 30.
(e) Adjustment of unreasonable basic service charge. The City Administrator or the Administrator's designee may increase or decrease the basic service charge for accounts other than single-family residence accounts, if the Administrator determines that the strict application of this results in a substantially unreasonable basic service charge due to erroneous meter readings; unbalanced or unrepresentative water usage during the applicable meter reading period; or other extraordinary cause.
(f) Appeal. Decisions of the City Administrator or the City Administrator's designee specifying a basic service charge based on projected water use under division (A)(2)(d), or an increase of a basic service charge under division (A)(2)(e) may be appealed to the City Council by written notice of appeal to the City Administrator. Notice of appeal must be delivered to the Administrator within 21 days of receiving the utility bill listing the basic service charges for the account.
(g) Sprinkler accounts. Sprinkler accounts shall pay a basic service charge at the monthly rate of one-twelfth of one annual SFR unit basic service charge for each of the six months per year for which the city bills sprinkler accounts.
(Ord. 295, passed 2-1-2022)