The sewer service charge system and sewer service fund shall be administrated according to the following provisions:
(A) The City Clerk shall maintain a proper system of accounts suitable for determining the operation and maintenance, equipment replacement and debt retirement costs of the treatment works, and shall furnish the City Council with a report of those costs annually in December. The City Council shall annually determine whether or not sufficient revenue is being generated for the effective operation, maintenance, replacement and management of the treatment works, and whether sufficient revenue is being generated for debt retirement. The Council will also determine whether the user charges are distributed proportionately to each user in accordance with § 51.113(B). 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 retire the construction debt.
(B) 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.
(C) In accordance with federal and state requirements, the City Clerk shall be responsible for maintaining all records necessary to document compliance with the Sewer Service Charge System adopted.
(D)
Bills for sewer service charges shall be rendered on a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis as designated by Council, succeeding the period for which the service was rendered and shall be due ten days from the date of rendering. Any bill not paid in full one day after the due date will be considered delinquent. At that time the city shall notify the delinquent owner/occupant in writing regarding the delinquent bill and subsequent penalty. The penalty shall be computed at 10% of the original bill and shall be increased the same 10% for every month the bill is outstanding.
(E) The owner of the premises shall be liable to pay for the service to their premises, and the service is furnished to the premises by the city only upon the condition that the owner of the premises is liable therefore to the city.
(F) Any additional costs caused by discharges to the treatment works of toxics or other incompatible wastes, including the cost of restoring wastewater treatment services, clean up and restoration of the receiving waters and environs, and sludge disposal, shall be borne by the discharger of the wastes, at no expense to the city.
(G) Each charge levied pursuant to this section shall be a lien against the property, and all such charges due on September 30 of each year, more than 30 days past due, and having properly mailed to the occupant or owner of the premises, shall be certified by the City Council to the County Auditor, shall specify the amount thereof, the description of the premises, the name of the owner thereof, and the amount so certified shall be expended upon the tax rolls against such premises in the same manner as other taxes, and collected by the County Treasurer and paid to the city along with other taxes.
(Ord. 2018-6, passed 12-5-2018)