935.02 DETERMINATION OF CHARGES.

   For the use of, and the service rendered by the sewage treatment works, rates and charges shall be collected from the owners of each and every lot, parcel of real estate or building that has availability to a sanitary sewer or that is connected with the City's sanitary sewage system or otherwise discharges sanitary sewage, industrial wastes, water or other liquids, either directly or indirectly, into the sanitary sewage system of the City which becomes tributary to the sewage treatment works, which rates and charges shall be payable as hereinafter provided, and shall be in an amount determinable as follows.

   (a)    The sewage rates and charges shall be based on the quantity of water used on or in the property or premises subject to such rates and charges, as the same is measured by the water meter or meters there in use, except as herein otherwise provided. Water meters will be read once each month (or period equaling one month) and sewage service bills shall be rendered once each month (or period equaling one month). At the option of the City, water meters may be read at intervals of once every two or three months and in such event, the sewage service billings will be made monthly on the last previous meter reading, prorated on a monthly basis and adjusted as necessary in the month following each meter reading.

   (b)    Where sewage or polluted industrial waste is discharged into the City's sewer system and water is obtained from a source other than the City, the customer will be required to install and maintain at his own expense suitable metering equipment, to be approved by the City, that will accurately determine the amount of sewage or polluted industrial waste being discharged into the City's system. Where meter readings are not available to the City, the Utilities Department shall take the necessary steps to establish an equitable method for determining the sewage volume delivered to the sewage system from such establishment. The rate stated for sewage charges shall apply to such metered or nonmetered usage.

   (c)    In the event a commercial, institutional, governmental or industrial user is discharging sanitary sewage, industrial wastes, water or other liquids into the City sanitary sewage system, either directly or indirectly, and it can be shown to the satisfaction of the City Manager or his designee that a portion of the water, whether supplied by the City or from some other source, used by the customer using the City's sanitary facilities does not enter the City's sewer system, one of the following billing procedures shall be applicable as determined by the City Manager or his designee :

      (1)   The owner shall separate the plumbing and install separate metering to register that portion of water used which does not enter the City's sanitary sewer system. The owner shall purchase the separate metering equipment from the City and the owner shall pay the cost of such installation. The City will maintain the separate metering at the owner's expense. The sewage rental charge will not be made on separately installed parallel meters registering the water consumption which does not enter the City's sanitary sewer system. The parallel meters must be approved by the City. For water rate purposes, consumption of the two or more meters will be combined.

      (2)   The owner shall install and maintain at his own expense suitable metering equipment that will properly ascertain the quantity of sewage being discharged into the City's system.

      (3)   When the situation will not allow for the installation of separate metering as described in subsection (c)(1) hereof due to physical limitations (where there is physically no room to install the required meter or where there are many geographically separate non-sewered uses associated with one meter) and when the ultimate use of the utility is residential in nature (used for personal consumption for daily living) in an institutional facility, the City Manager or his designee may use the following billing procedure to determine the amount of water entering the sanitary sewer:

         A.   Wastewater volume measurement:

            1.   Non-summer periods - (October through April)

               Sewer billings will be calculated on the actual recorded volume of water delivered to the customer.

            2.   Summer periods - (May through September)

Summer billings will be calculated on the actual recorded volume of water delivered to the customer provided said recorded volume does not exceed one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) of the highest recorded monthly usage during the previous non-summer period which shall become the maximum volume for sewer billing for that summer period.

         B.   Exceptions:

            1.   In the case of new construction/non-occupancy where previous usage patterns are not available, the maximum volume of sewer billing will be the greater of the actual previous winter's usage or eight ccf per month per unit served by the account (meter).

            2.   If the highest recorded monthly water usage during the previous non-summer period is proven to be non- representative due to a verified water leak or similar circumstances, the second highest recorded usage will be used.

            3.   If the water used for non-sewer purposes is separately metered, the sewer volumes will be calculated on the recorded volume discharged to the sewer system.

               (Ord. 2011-4-30. Passed 4-27-11.)

   (d)   Where a metered supply is used for fire protection as well as for other uses, the City may make such adjustments in the use charge as will be equitable.

      (Ord. 94-3-23. Passed 3-23-94.)

   (e)   The water usage schedule on which the amount of total sewer charges will be determined shall be as follows:

      (1)   Total service charge (TSC) for residential, commercial, governmental and industrial users on volume usage basis with surcharge. See definition of terms under Section 935.01 hereof. The total service charge (TSC) shall be the sum of the following amounts in effect on the dates as hereinafter indicated:

 

Monthly Charges (By Meter Size)
Meter Size	Effective Date
	1/1/2023	1/1/2024	1/1/2025	1/1/2026	1/1/2027
Customer Charge ($/month)	$3.23	$3.40	$3.57	$3.89	$4.24

Monthly Charges (By Meter Size)
Meter Size	Effective Date
	1/1/2023	1/1/2024	1/1/2025	1/1/2026	1/1/2027
Capacity Charge ($/month per meter size)
5/8"	$5.25	$5.51	$5.79	$6.31	$6.88
3/4"	$7.88	$8.27	$8.68	$9.46	$10.32
1"	$13.13	$13.78	$14.47	$15.77	$17.19
1 ½"	$26.25	$27.56	$28.94	$31.55	$34.38
2"	$42.00	$44.10	$46.31	$50.47	$55.01
3"	$78.75	$82.69	$86.82	$94.64	$103.15
4"	$131.25	$137.81	$144.70	$157.73	$171.92
6"	$262.50	$275.63	$289.41	$315.45	$343.84
8"	$420.00	$441.00	$463.05	$504.72	$550.15
10"	$603.75	$633.94	$665.63	$725.54	$790.84
12"	$1,128.75	$1,185.19	$1,244.45	$1,356.45	$1,478.53
14"	$1,680.00	$1,764.00	$1,852.20	$2,018.90	$2,200.60
16"	$2,404.50	$2,524.73	$2,650.96	$2,889.55	$3,149.61
18"	$3,845.63	$4,037.91	$4,239.80	$4,621.38	$5,037.31

 

20"	$5,856.25	$5,099.06	$5,354.02	$5,835.88	$6,361.11
Volumetric Charges (By Usage)
Usage	Effective Date
	1/1/2023	1/1/2024	1/1/2025	1/1/2026	1/1/2027
Volumetric Charge per 100 cubic feet	$5.255	$5.518	$5.794	$6.315	$6.884
Surcharge for BOD5 in excess of 200 mg/l (per pound of BOD)	$0.455	$0.477	$0.501	$0.546	$0.596
Surcharge of SS in excess of 300 mg/l (per pound of SS)	$0.278	$0.292	$0.307	$0.334	$0.364

(Ord. 2022-10-100. Passed 10-26-22.)

      (2)   The above stated sewer service charges and those provided for in Section 935.12 are in addition to water rates and charges. The minimum charge per month for each sewage bill rendered under subsection (e)(1) hereof or Section 935.12 shall be equal to the monthly customer charge plus the monthly capacity charge (by meter size).

         (Ord. 2016-6-59. Passed 6-22-16.)

      (3)   User charge for significant industrial users. The user charge for significant industrial users shall be determined according to the “users agreement” between the City and the respective significant industrial user.

         (Ord. 2002-11-91. Passed 11-13-02.)

   (f)   (1)   For meter readings during the months of May, June, July, August and September of 2003 and thereafter, the sewer charges for residential customers of the City’s sewer system shall be the lesser of:

         A.   The actual sewer charges calculated pursuant to the rates set forth in Section 935.02(e) above; or

         B.   One hundred fifty percent (150%) of the average monthly charge for water usage incurred during the months of October through April.

      (2)   To be eligible for this alternate billing, both of the following must occur:

         A.   At least one actual water meter reading must have been made during the winter months; and

         B.   During those summer months where the City is not scheduled to obtain an actual meter reading, utility customers must call the Utility Metering Division and provide their water meter reading by the date stated on their utility bill.

New customers who have not established a normal winter water usage pattern shall be billed for no more than one thousand (1,000) cubic feet of water during the summer months.

(Ord. 2003-3-14. Passed 3-12-03.)

   (g)   (1)   In order that the rates and charges may be justly and equitably adjusted to the service rendered, the City shall have the right to base its charges not only on volume, but if desirable, also on the strength and character of the sewage and wastes which it is required to treat and dispose of. The City shall have the right to measure and determine the strength and content of all sewage and wastes discharged, either directly or indirectly into the City's sanitary sewage system, in such manner and by such method as it may deem practicable in the light of the conditions and attending circumstances of the case, in order to determine the proper charge.

      (2)   To determine the strength of the sewage and wastes, samplings and analyses shall be made from time to time as it is deemed desirable by the City. After charges have been established, based upon the strength of sewage and wastes, the owner may request reconsideration of these charges by the City by submitting, if requested, analyses of composite samples of the sewage and wastes subject to such charges certified by a registered engineer or a graduate chemist. The City may then adjust the charges to the ordinance rates required by such analysis or may recheck the findings by additional sampling and analysis. Requests for rate adjustments may be submitted no more often than once every three months for minor industrial users.

      (3)    All sampling and monitoring of wastewater shall be conducted during periods of normal discharge from industrial users. The determination of BOD, SS, TKN, P, heavy metals and other toxic substances contained in the wastewater shall be in accordance with the "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater", as prepared by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation, latest edition.

   (h)    For the service rendered to the City, the City shall be subject to the same rates and charges hereinbefore provided, or to charges and rates established in harmony therewith. (Ord. 84-2-23. Passed 2-29-84.)

   (i)   The following fees shall be charged to industrial users of the City's wastewater disposal system for administering the City's pretreatment program:

 

Application review fee:	$ 50.00
Permit fee:	500.00
Annual pretreatment fee (active dischargers):	500.00
Annual pretreatment fee (categorical, dry):	250.00
Sampling and analysis charges:	As billed by contract laboratory

(Ord. 96-8-86. Passed 8-14-96.)

   (j)   Water Leaks: Credits/Adjustments. In the event of a documented loss of water through a fault in the water service at a point or points between the shut-off in right-of-way and the structure, including any pipes on or within the structure, because of a broken pipe on his/her premises, when any water customer in any given billing period has used an amount of water which is more than 150% of the average amount of water which has been used on such premises in a similar period prior to the most recent month period, he/she may apply in writing for an adjustment . The customer shall be responsible for the amount up to 150% average defined above.

   The intent of this sewer credit/adjustment is to provide customers with some relief for catastrophic losses of water and is not intended to subsidize customers for high water usage due to lack of maintenance or a change in activities and usage patterns at a home or commercial establishment. The City, as authorized by this Ordinance, has the right to limit sewer credits/adjustments in situations that are deemed to have occurred as a result of the lack of proper maintenance or negligence by the customer/account holder (or third party, such as a renter/tenant, contractor, etc.) which results in a water loss (e.g., leaking toilets, faucets, and appliances).

   A sewer credit/adjustment may be considered under the following conditions:

      (1)    The customer promptly reports the leak to the City; and

      (2)    If the customer can verify that the water from the leak did not enter the sanitary sewer system, the customer will be eligible for a full credit/adjustment of the sewer charges, beyond the aforementioned 150% threshold; and

      (3)    If the water from the leak entered the sanitary sewer system, the customer shall continue to be responsible for sewer charges up to the aforementioned 150% threshold. However, the sewer rate for usage above the 150% threshold may be reduced to the average of the previous year variable cost of treatment for the City's Water Reclamation Facility;

      (4)   Credit/adjustment for this loss shall be limited to one (1) monthly billing cycle; and

      (5)    The customer's water meter size must be one inch or less; and

      (6)    The affected premise address must not have had a leak adjustment within the twenty-four (24) months immediately preceding the reported leak.

         (Ord. 2014-5-37. Passed 5-14-14; Ord. 2017-10-111. Passed 10-11-17.)