(A) Initial fees required. Owners of premises in which public municipal water is used or who hereafter improve the premises by the erection of a building shall pay a connection charge, or advance construction charge, and a tap-in fee computed on the basis of unit factors, as established on the Equivalent User Table-Appendix A or Appendix B as established by resolution of Council and amended from time to time, at the time a connection permit or construction permit is issued.
(B) Tap-in fees.
(1) Indirect connection. Where premises are connected indirectly to a public water main installed at the expense of the owner or by special assessment or at the expense of the subdivider or the developer of the premises or by the city, when cost recovery is to be made by a construction charge, established by resolution of the City Council and not at the unreimbursed expense of the city, the connection charge shall be as set by the City Council, and amended by resolution from time to time.
(2) Direct connection. Where the premises are connected directly to a public watermain installed at the expense of the city, or by a developer of property other than the premises to be connected, the connection charge for each user shall be as set by the City Council, and amended by resolution from time to time.
(C) Expansion. The owner of any premises within the city who shall expand the use or change the nature of the use of any premises subsequent to the calculation and imposition of the initial connection charge as provided by this section, prior to the issuance of a building permit, if required, shall be assessed an additional connection charge in accordance with this ordinance, as amended, in the event it is determined that the expansion or change in use results in an increase of the premises' REU factor as expressed on the Equivalent User Table-Appendix A or Appendix B as set by resolution of Council and amended from time to time.
(D) Construction fees. Where the premises are connected directly to the public watermain installed at the expense of the city, there shall be a construction charge equal to 50% of the cost of an 8-inch watermain. The cost of construction of an 8-inch watermain shall be determined by bid, or the average cost of that type of construction, including all appurtenances, as experienced by the city within the previous 12-month period, or last known costs from a previous time period beyond the 12-month period adjusted by the Consumer Price Index of the U.S. Department of Labor. The amount of the construction charge shall be established by resolution of the City Council.
(E) Installation costs. All installation costs for connection to the city watermains shall be the responsibility of the owner or developer of the premises to be served. When service to a premises requires an extension of a public watermain, the advance construction charge shall be paid by the property owner or developer, based upon an estimate by the Department of Public Works. Any surplus shall be returned to the property owner or developer and any deficit shall be paid by the property owner or developer, immediately upon the determination of the actual costs of construction for that public watermain.
(F) Installment payment; unpaid charges; lien. The owner of premises in which water is used as of the date when public water is made available to the premises may elect to pay the tap-in-fee and construction charge by installment payments, by paying 25% of the total computed connection charge and construction charge when the connection permit is issued and the balance shall be paid in 10 equal annual payments, together with interest at 10% per annum on the declining balance from the date when the connection permit is issued. The first installment and accrued interest shall be due and payable on the next July 1, which is more than 3 months after the date when the connection permit is issued, and subsequent installments with accrued interest shall be due and payable on July 1, annually thereafter, and all installments with accrued interest shall be subject to the same interest and penalties as the city taxes on the premises. The balance of any connection charge or construction charge remaining unpaid may be paid in cash at any time before due, together with accrued interest to the date of payment. The balance due on a connection charge or construction charge for a given premises shall be paid in full at the time the premises change ownership. The foregoing charges shall be in addition to any charges which may be due and payable at the time for the actual cost of making connection to the system and for transporting water from the facilities of the system to the point of use on the premises. All unpaid installments and water usage charges shall be a lien against the land, collectable in the same manner as real property taxes assessed by the city.
(Ord. 2018-51, passed 6-4-2018; Ord. 2019-5-51, passed 5-6-2019)