(A) The City of Cologne provides a variety of public services to residents, businesses, and property owners in the community, including public utilities. Municipal water, wastewater treatment, storm water management, and street lighting are basic public utilities and among the services provided by the city. The City Council periodically reviews the costs for the provision of these services and adjusts the fees for services accordingly.
(B) The fee structure for each utility is identified separately and includes provisions for the reimbursement of core facility expenditures and operating expenditures. The fee structure includes existing expenditures (including debt service) and planned expenditures (including anticipated debt service) within the public utility systems. Core facility expenditures include, but are not limited to, such items as water wells and related equipment, trunk water distribution lines, water treatment facilities, water storage facilities, sanitary sewer lift stations, trunk sanitary sewer lines, wastewater treatment facilities, and storm water management facilities. Operating expenditures include, but are not limited to, labor and capital expenditures associated with the delivery, monitoring, maintenance, repair, replacement, upgrade, and administration of the public utility system.
(C) The fee structure for core facilities is based upon an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU), and the fees collected are referred to as trunk charges. Trunk charges are collected at the time of building permit issuance; although, the City Council may require prepayment of trunk charges for certain core facilities at the time of subdivision or development approval. The core facilities ERU is established for all land uses as follows:
Single-family detached dwelling | 1.0 ERU |
Single-family attached dwelling (<8 units/building) | 1.0 ERU |
Multiple-family dwelling (>7 units/building) | 0.8 ERU |
Commercial/Industrial/Public/Institutional/Other | 1.0 ERU for each Metropolitan Council Service Availability Charge (SAC) unit assigned to the use |
(D) The fee structure for operating expenditures is based upon utility usage and is collected through monthly billings to utility users.
(E) The rates, fees, trunk charges and charges for public utility services are established by City Council from time to time.
(Ord. 159, passed 10-6-2003)