The sewer service charge system and Sewer Service Fund shall be administered according to the following provisions.
(A) The City Clerk-Treasurer shall maintain a proper system of accounts suitable for determining the operation and maintenance and capital-related costs of the treatment works and shall furnish the City Council with a report of such costs annually in October.
(B) (1) The City Council shall annually determine whether or not sufficient revenue is being generated for the effective operation, maintenance, and management of the treatment works, and whether sufficient revenue is being generated for capital-related purposes.
(2) The Council will also determine whether the user charges are distributed proportionately to each user in accordance herewith and in accordance with § 204(b)(2)(A) of the Clean Water Act.
(3) The city shall thereafter, but not later than the end of the year, reassess and, as necessary, revise the sewer service charge system then in use to ensure the proportionality of the user charges and to ensure the sufficiency of funds to maintain the capacity and performance to which the facilities were constructed, and to accommodate the capital needs of the system.
(C) In accordance with federal and state requirements, each user will be notified annually, in conjunction with a regular billing, of that portion of the sewer service charge attributable to operation, maintenance, and replacement.
(D) In accordance with federal and state requirements, the City Clerk-Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining all records necessary to document compliance with the sewer service charge system adopted.
(E)
Bills for sewer service charges shall be rendered on a monthly basis succeeding the period for which the service was rendered and shall be due 30 days from the date of rendering. Any payment not received by the due date shall result in a penalty of a late payment charge. The penalty shall be computed as 10% of the original bill and shall be increased the same 10% for every month the bill is outstanding.
(F) The owner of the premises shall be liable to pay for the service to such premises, and the service is furnished to the premises by the city only upon the condition that the owner of the premises is liable to the city.
(G) Any additional costs caused by discharges to the treatment works of toxics or other incompatible wastes, including the cost of restoring wastewater treatment services, cleanup and restoration of the receiving waters and environs, and sludge disposal, shall be borne by the dischargers of the wastes, at no expense to the city.
(H) Lien for nonpayment. As authorized by state law, the city may certify to the County Auditor between October 1 and 15 of each year any charges that are delinquent, which includes all such charges that are more than 30 days past due on or before September 30 of that year, which certification shall include the amount of such charges, the description of the premises serviced, and the name and address of the owner. The amount so certified shall be extended by the Auditor on the tax rolls against the premises in the same matter as other taxes, and collected by the County Treasurer and paid to the city along with other taxes. If the property is occupied by any person who is not the owner, the owner is nonetheless obligated for all service collection charges incurred.
(Prior Code, § 3.21) (Ord. 2019-06, passed 11-25-2019; Ord. 2024-05, passed 5-13-2024)