(a) Basis.
(1) The wastewater service charge for the use of and for service supplied by the wastewater facilities of the City shall consist of a basic user charge for operation and maintenance, plus replacement, applicable surcharges and a local capital cost charge composed of a debt service charge and a capital improvement charge.
(2) The debt service charge is computed by dividing the annual debt service of all outstanding bonds by the number of users. Through further divisions, the monthly and/or quarterly debt service charges can be computed. The debt service charge is computed as a fixed charge, plus a charge per 1,000 gallons.
(3) The capital improvement charge is levied on all users to provide for capital improvements, extensions or reconstruction of the sewage treatment works. The capital improvement is computed by apportioning the annual amount to be accrued as a cost per 1,000 gallons or as a fixed charge per month.
(4) The basic user charge shall be based on water usage as recorded by water meters and/or sewage meters for wastes having a five-day, twenty-degree Centigrade biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of 300 mg/l and a suspended solids (SS) content of 350 mg/l. These amounts are considered normal domestic concentrations. The basic user charge shall consist of operation and maintenance costs, plus replacement, and shall be computed as follows:
A. Estimate wastewater volume, pounds of SS and pounds of BOD to be treated.
B. Estimate the projected annual revenue required to operate and maintain the wastewater facilities, including a replacement fund, for the year for all works categories.
C. Proportion the estimated operation, maintenance and replacement costs to each user class by volume, suspended solids and BOD.
D. Proportion the estimated operation, maintenance and replacement costs to wastewater facility categories by volume, suspended solids and BOD.
E. Compute costs per 1,000 gallons for normal sewage strength.
F. Compute surcharge costs per pound per 1,000 gallons in excess of normal sewage strength for BOD and SS.
(5) A surcharge will be levied to all users whose waters exceed the normal domestic concentrations of BOD (300 mg/l) and SS (350 mg/l). The surcharge will be based on water usage as recorded by water meters and/or sewage meters for all wastes which exceed the 300 mg/l and 3500 mg/l concentration for BOD and SS respectively. Subsection (f) hereof specifies the procedure to compute a surcharge.
(6) The adequacy of the wastewater service charge shall be reviewed, not less often than annually, by certified public accountants for the City in their annual audit report. The wastewater service charge shall be revised periodically to reflect a change in local capital costs or a change in operation and maintenance costs, including replacement costs.
(7) The users of wastewater treatment services will be notified annually, in conjunction with a regular bill, of the rate and that portion of the user charges which are attributable to the wastewater treatment operation, maintenance and replacement.
(b) Measurement of Flow.
(1) The volume of flow used for computing basic user charges and surcharges shall be the metered water consumption read to the lowest even increments of 100 gallons.
(2) If the person discharging wastes into the public sewers procures any part or all of his or her water from sources other than the public waterworks system, all or a part of which is discharged into the public sewers, the person shall install and maintain, at his or her expense, water meters of a type approved by the Supervisor of City Maintenance for the purpose of determining the volume of water obtained from these other sources.
(3) Devices for measuring the volume of waste discharged may be required by the Supervisor if these volumes cannot otherwise be determined from the metered water consumption records.
(4) Metering devices for determining the volume of waste shall be installed, owned and maintained by the person. Following approval and installation, such meters may not be removed, unless service is cancelled, without the consent of the Supervisor.
(c) Debt Service Charge. A debt service charge of four dollars and ten cents ($4.10) per month to each user of the wastewater facility of the City is hereby established.
(Ord. 569. Passed 9-21-88.)
(d) Basic User Rate. There is hereby established a minimum charge and a basic user rate for the use of and for service supplied by the wastewater facilities of the City. A minimum charge of seventeen dollars and twenty cents ($17.20) shall be applied to all users whose water consumption does not exceed 5,000 gallons per month.
A basic user rate of ninety-five cents ($0.95) per 1,000 gallons shall be applied to all users for water consumption in excess of 5,000 gallons per month.
All nonmetered residential users of the wastewater facilities shall pay a minimum flat rate charge per month adequate to cover the costs of the minimum accrual capital cost charge, the minimum service charge, and the basic user rate of seventeen dollars and twenty cents ($17.20).
If a sewer customer will be gone for a period of more than 30 days, the customer may apply for a vacation rate of seven dollars ($7.00) per month during the period the premises are vacant.
(Ord. 743. Passed 11-8-99; Ord. 786. Passed 10-14-02; Ord. 811. Passed 9-13-04; Ord. 861. Passed 4-14-08; Ord. 1,011. Passed 12-13-21.)
(e) Surcharge Rate. The rates of surcharges for BOD and SS shall be as follows:
(1) Per pound of BOD: 0.07
(2) Per pound of SS: 0.06
(f) Computation of Surcharge. The concentration of wastes used for computing surcharges shall be established by waste sampling. Waste sampling shall be performed as often as may be deemed necessary by the Supervisor and shall be binding as a basis for surcharges.
(g) Computation of Wastewater Service Charge. The wastewater service charge shall be computed by the following formula:
CW = CC + CD + CM + (Vu-X) CU + CS
Where CW = Amount of waste service charge ($) per billing period
CD = Debt service charge
CC = Capital improvement charge
CM = Minimum charge for operation, maintenance and replacement
Vu = Wastewater volume for the billing period
X = Allowable consumption in gallons for the minimum charge
CU = Basic user rate for operation, maintenance and replacement
CS = Amount of surcharge
(Ord. 569. Passed 9-21-88.)