(A) In the exercise of its governmental authority and in order to promote the public health, safety, convenience and general welfare, the city has constructed, operated and maintained a storm sewer system (“the system”). This subchapter is adopted in the further exercise of this authority and for the same purposes.
(B) The system, as constructed, heretofore has been financed and paid for through the imposition of special assessments and ad valorem taxes. It is now necessary and desirable to provide an alternative method of recovering some or all of the future costs of improving, maintaining and operating the system through the imposition of charges as provided in this subchapter.
(C) (1) In imposing charges, it is necessary to establish a methodology that undertakes to make them just and equitable. Taking into account the status of completion of the system, past methods of recovering system cost, the topography of the city and other relevant factors, it is determined that it would be just and equitable to assign responsibility for some or all of the future costs of operating, maintaining and improving the system on the basis of the expected volume of storm water runoff from the various parcels of land within the city during a standard rainfall event as defined in § 53.131 of this chapter.
(2) In addition, it is determined that it would be just and equitable to assign responsibility for some or all of the future costs of operating, maintaining and improving the system on the basis of the expected pollutant loading from the various parcels of land within the city.
(D) Assigning costs and making charges based upon expected typical storm water runoff volume and pollutant loading cannot be done with mathematical precision, but can only be accomplished within reasonable and practical limits. The provisions of this subchapter undertake to establish a reasonable and practical methodology for making these charges.
(2004 Code, § 53.122) (Ord. 01-289, passed 1-23-2001)