(a) Applicable sewer connection and capital impact fees shall be paid in advance of the establishment of any sewer connection, including, but not limited to, the extension of pipe, the tapping of a sewer main, or the establishment of a new use on an existing connection. The specific policies and procedures for the assessment and collection of sewer connection and capital impact fees shall be established by the schedule of fees and charges in each year's annual budget ordinance.
(b) No water from the town's water system shall be supplied to any person who has caused a sewer tap to be made until the connection fee has been received by the town.
(c) All residents of areas statutorily annexed to the town, where the town extends the sewer to the newly annexed area, shall qualify for waiver of the standard sewer connection fees and charges, provided such residents follow proper application, installation and complete connections within 12 calendar months of the date sewer utilities are available for tapping. The town manager shall provide written certification to town council of the date such utility lines become available for connection, thereby, fixing the date from which residents are allowed to connect without payment of connection charges. All residents who do not connect within the 12-month waiver period must pay all connection fees and charges as prescribed herein.
(d) Sewer connection and impact fees are intended to fund the town's capital reserve fund. The purpose of the impact fee is to reimburse existing customers for having to finance expansion-related projects in advance of growth; recover carrying costs of capacity because capacity must be developed in advance of growth; and create a fund for the upgrading of the sewer collection and treatment system required due to obsolescence or increased regulatory requirements.
(e) For purpose of assessing residential sewer capital impact fees, the assumed usage for a residential unit shall be 375 gallons per day. The term "residential unit" shall be deemed to be an individual single-family living unit whether such unit shall be a freestanding house, an apartment, a condominium or any other residential structure.
(f) Nonresidential users will be assessed sewer capital impact fees based on the number of 375 GPD units of water consumed and will pay the full cost for any fraction of a residential equivalent. Sewer capital impact fees may be assessed utilizing the best available information, including, but not limited to, historical use data for similar uses, and an engineer's signed and sealed estimate of projected water use. In the absence of such information, the town manager shall base sewer capital impact such fees upon 15A NCAC 02T.0114, Wastewater Design Flow Rates.
(Code 1989, § 51.11)