(a) History. Prior to 1956, the City established a water supply system by resolution, and thereafter adopted Ordinance Numbers 148, 153, 270, 271, 280, 331 and 378 for the purpose of regulating the water supply system, establishing rates and charges for use of the water supply system, and enabling the acquisition, construction, and installation of enhancements, and improvements to the water supply system.
(b) Necessity. The City has previously found, and currently reaffirms, that the businesses, industries, governmental and charitable agencies and residents located in the City need to have potable and otherwise usable water.
(c) Availability of Potable Water. The City further has previously found, and currently reaffirms, that the supply of potable water available from private wells within the City is insufficient to assure that all businesses, industries, governmental and charitable agencies, and residents will have sufficient potable water available for their use and other water necessary for industrial and fire prevention and control unless the City offers water to all properties located within the City.
(d) Method of Measuring Use of the Water Supply System. Based on the advice of its engineers, the City has previously found, and currently reaffirms, that the most precise method of measuring for use of the water supply system by any user is by a meter or meters installed and controlled by the City.
(e) Continuation of Service. The City has previously found and further reaffirms that in order to provide and continue to provide clean potable and other usable water to all users of the water supply system, in quantities necessary for all varieties of use, it is necessary from time to time to install improvements, enlargements, and extensions and repairs to the system.
(f) Purpose of Rates and Charges. The City has previously found and further currently reaffirms that the fairest and most reasonable method of providing for the operation, maintenance, repair, replacement and improvement of the water supply system, is to charge each user, based in all cases on amount of use, for (1) the cost of retiring debt secured by the net revenues of the system issued to pay for improvements and replacements to the Water System Production Plant; (2) the costs of ongoing repair, replacement and improvement paid for from the Replacement Fund and Improvement Fund and budgeted as part of the annual costs of the Water System Production Plant; and (3) operation, administration and maintenance costs paid for from the Operating Fund.
(g) Proportionality of Classifications of Users According to Residential Equivalent Units Based on Historic Consumption. The City has previously found and further currently reaffirms that, based on the advice of its engineers, the fairest method of charging its users proportionately for payment of the costs of improvements to and replacements of the Water System Production Plant is to impose a flat charge, based on Residential Equivalent Units (22,000 gallons of metered water per quarter), calculated annually on the basis of amount of use in the previous year, to classes of users divided according to annual quantity of use.
(Ord. Unno. Passed 9-7-99.)