(A) Users of the city wastewater treatment works shall be identified as belonging to one of the following user classes: residential; commercial; industrial; institutional; or governmental. The allocation of users to these categories for the purpose of assessing user charges and debt service charges shall be the responsibility of the city’s Clerk-Administrator. Allocation of users to user classes shall be based on the substantive intent of the definitions of these classes contained herein.
(B) The charges assessed residential users and those users of other classes who discharge normal domestic strength wastewater shall be calculated on the basis of wastewater volume. Those industrial users who discharge normal domestic strength wastewater only can be classified as commercial users for the purpose of rate determination.
(C) The sewer service charge shall consist of a user charge for operation, maintenance and replacement costs, a debt service charge for recovery of local capital costs and an administration fee for recovery of administrative related costs.
(D) The charges assessed residential users and those users of other classes discharging normal domestic strength wastewater shall be established proportionately according to billable wastewater volume. Billable wastewater volume shall be calculated as follows.
(1) Residential users. Billable wastewater volume for residential users shall be calculated on the basis of metered water usage. The per quarter billable wastewater volume shall be equal to quarterly metered water usage as averaged between the first and last quarters of the calendar year. The city may require residential users to install water meters for the purpose of determining billable wastewater volume.
(2) Non-residential users. The billable wastewater volume of non-residential users may be determined in the same manner as for residential users; except that, if the city determines that there are significant seasonal variations in the metered water usage of non-residential users resulting in a proportionate increase or decrease in wastewater volume, then billable wastewater volume shall be calculated on the basis of quarterly metered water usage as recorded throughout the year, or calculated on the basis of wastewater flow meters. The city may, at its discretion, require non-residential users to install such additional water meters or wastewater flow meters as may be necessary to determine billable wastewater volume.
(3) Non-metered users. For those users who discharge normal domestic strength wastewater, as defined in this subchapter, and who do not have existing water meters, wastewater volume will be calculated on the basis of equivalent dwelling units (EDUs). An equivalent dwelling unit at a volume of 200 gallons per day will be assigned to connections according to § 51.103 of this chapter. Determination of the number of EDUs assigned to a particular connection, in accordance with § 51.103 of this chapter, shall be the responsibility of the City Council or its authorized representative. Users may appeal the number of EDUs assigned to a particular connection by installing and maintaining, at their own expense, water meters of a type approved by the city. The meters shall be equipped with remote registering recorders and located at an accessible site on the owner’s property.
(E) Determination of sewer service charges.
(1) Generally. The sewer service charge shall consist of an administration fee for the recovery of administration costs. A user charge for operation, maintenance and replacement and a debt service charge for the recovery of local capital costs. These charges shall be determined as follows.
(2) Administration fee. The administration fee for each connection to the wastewater treatment facility shall be determined as follows: calculation of fixed quarterly fee for administration services:
AF = AC / (TC × Q)
Where:
AF = Administration fee per connection
AC = Annual administration budget
TC = Total number of connections to the system
Q = Number of quarters per year
(3) User charge. User charges for normal domestic strength users shall be determined as follows:
(a) Calculation of unit cost for treatment of domestic strength wastewater.
UOMR = COMR-A / TBWV
Where:
UOMR = Unit cost for OM&R in $/Kgallon
COMR-A = Total annual OM&R less administration costs
TBWV = Total annual billable wastewater volume in Kgallon
(b) Calculation of user charge.
UC = UOMR × BWV
Where:
UC = User charge
UOMR = Unit cost for OM&R in $/Kgallon
BWV = Billable wastewater volume of a particular user in Kgallon
(4) Debt service charge. Recovery of local capital costs of the wastewater treatment facility shall be through a debt service charge calculated in a manner consistent with the user charge as follows:
(a) Calculation of unit cost for debt service.
UDS = CDS / TBWV
Where:
UDS = Unit cost for debt service in $/Kgallon
CDS = Costs of annual debt service
TBWV = Total annual billable wastewater volume in Kgallon
(b) Calculation of debt service charge.
DC = UDS × BWV
Where:
DC = Debt service charge
UDS = Unit cost for debt service in $/Kgallon
BWV = Billable wastewater volume of a particular user in Kgallon
(5) Determination of sewer service charge. The sewer service charge for a particular connection shall be determined as follows:
SSC = UC + DC + AF
Where:
SSC = Sewer service charge
UC = User charge
DC = Debt service charge
AF = Administration fee
(F) The sewer service charges established in this subchapter shall not prevent the assessment of additional charges to users who discharge wastes with concentrations greater than normal domestic strength or wastes of unusual character, or contractual agreements with the users, as long as the following conditions are met:
(1) The user pays operation, maintenance and replacement costs in proportion to the user’s proportionate contribution of wastewater flows and loadings to the treatment plant, and no user is charged at a rate less than that of normal domestic strength wastewater; and
(2) The measurements of the wastes are conducted according to the latest edition of the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater in a manner acceptable to the city as provided for in this chapter.
(Prior Code, § 51.114) Penalty, see § 51.999