In providing for such charges, the following findings and determinations are made:
(A) In the exercise of its governmental authority and in order to promote the public health, safety, convenience and general welfare, the city has constructed, operated and maintained a storm sewer system (the "system"). This chapter is adopted in the further exercise of such authority.
(B) The system, as constructed, heretofore has been financed and paid for through the imposition of special assessments and ad valorem taxes. Such financing methods were appropriate to the circumstances at the time they were used. It is now necessary and desirable to provide an alternative method of recovering some or all of the future costs of operating, maintaining and improving the system through the imposition of charges as provided in this section.
(C) In imposing charges, it is necessary to establish a methodology that undertakes to make them just and equitable. Taking into account the status of completion of the system, past methods of recovering system costs, and other relevant factors, it is determined that it would be just and equitable to assign responsibility for some or all of the future costs of operating, maintaining and improving the system on the basis of the expected storm water runoff from the various parcels of land within the city.
(D) Assigning costs and making charges based upon expected typical storm sewer runoff cannot be done with mathematical precision but can only be accomplished within reasonable and practical limits based upon use.
(Ord. 2002-981, passed 11-25-02)