The owner, person, firm or individual in charge of any building or property within or without the corporate limits of the city, which building or property is connected to the sanitary sewer system of the city or to which property sanitary sewer service is available, shall pay to the city amounts for the use of such service as provided below.
(A) Within the corporation.
(1) Where the building or property is served exclusively by the water system owned and operated by the city, the amount charged shall be measured and the quantity determined from the water meter for such building or property. Where part of the water metered does not enter the sanitary sewer system, then that part which does not enter the sanitary sewer system may be excluded from the quantity of water on which the charge is based. The owner or person in charge of the property shall be required to provide and install, at his or her expense, additional metering equipment so that the quantity of water which is to be the basis for the sewer charge may be accurately determined. The following sewer rates shall be effective for bills rendered after January 1, 2024.
(2) Effective January 1, 2024, there shall be a minimum charge for the first 2,500 gallons of $21.03. All usage over 2,500 gallons shall be charged at $5.79 per 1,000 gallons.
(3) Where a building or property within the city is connected to a metered water system other than that owned and operated by the city, the charge for sewer use shall be equal to the amount which would be charged for a like water usage were it on the water system owned and operated by the city. For the purpose of determining the amount of water furnished by a metered water system other than that of the city, the utility furnishing such water shall submit such information and in such a manner as the Director of Service may require.
(4) All buildings or property within the city that utilizes sewer service shall be connected to a metered system.
(B) Outside the corporation.
(1) The rate to be charged for sewer service furnished to buildings or properties outside the city, but connected to the sanitary sewer system of the city, shall be equal to the charge as calculated above in section (A) hereof, plus 50%. All other provisions of section (A) shall also apply to this section.
(2) The City Manager shall review all applications for sanitary sewer service outside the city and shall only approve such applications as are in the best interests of the city in consideration of all pertinent factors including, but not limited to, such factors as:
(a) Ability of the city to serve with no adverse affect on present customers.
(b) Level of consistency with the city’s sanitary sewer master plan.
(c) Level of consistency with the city’s comprehensive plan and other long-range development plans and strategies of the city.
(d) Compliance with other appropriate ordinances or administrative rules and regulations.
(C) Special contracts. Where specific contracts for furnishing of sewer are entered into pursuant to the authorization of Council, such contracts and the rates specified therein shall take precedence over the rates shown above.
(D) Additional charges for industrial wastes. Over and above the rates and charges established in divisions (A) and (B) hereof, there may be established in special instances and upon special agreement between the city and the owner of the premises served by the sanitary sewer system, such additional charges for industrial wastes of unusual strength or composition which are accepted by the city for treatment as may be determined to be fair and equitable. The Director of Service shall establish such additional charges on the basis of the relationship between the biochemical oxygen demand of the industrial waste accepted to the average biochemical oxygen demand of other waste water received in the sewage treatment plant.
(E) Tap-in fees.
(1) Equity connection fee.
(a) At it's discretion and expense, the city may construct additional sanitary sewer mains and service facilities in public rights-of-way or easements, which is termed a local main extension.
(b) When an improvement or addition to a utility system made by an entity, including the city, at its expense, that makes sanitary sewer service possible in a new location where such service did not previously exist, and where the owner of the lot or parcel to receive such new service has not previously paid an equitable share of the city's cost of extending the main into which the connection tap is made, the owner of the abutting lot shall pay the city an equity connection fee in order to assist in the recovery of the city's cost of extending the main. The equity connection fee shall be determined as follows:
1. Where a tap or connection is made to what has previously been constructed as a local main extension, a uniform fee per lineal foot of frontage of the lot or parcel abutting the sanitary sewer main shall be paid to the city. This uniform fee shall be based on the equitable distribution of the costs incurred by the city during the construction of the local main extension. In the event that such abutting lot or parcel of real estate is not rectangular, the frontage used shall be the number of lineal feet produced by averaging the front line and the rear lot line, or one-half of the front lot line if the lot or parcel forms a triangle.
2. Where a tap or connection is made to what has previously been constructed as a local main extension, at its discretion the city may establish a benefit fee for each lot or parcel abutting the sanitary sewer main which shall be paid to the city. Such a fee shall be distributed in an equitable manner based on the relative benefit of sewer service for each lot and the costs incurred by the city to provide sanitary sewer service to the area.
(c) The equity connection fee shall be paid in full to the city before a sanitary sewer tap permit is issued and the connection is made.
(d) Where a reimbursement agreement still in full force and effect exists with a developer, the fee shall be as prescribed in the reimbursement agreement of legislation adopted pursuant thereto.
(2) System capacity charge. In addition to the tap-in charge provided for in division (E)(1) of this section, where applicable, there shall be paid into the Sewer Fund for each unit to be served by each connection, a tap-in fee based on the size of the water meter as shown below:
Meter Size (Inches) | Tap-in Fees |
Meter Size (Inches) | Tap-in Fees |
5/8 | $ 2,640 |
1 | 2,860 |
1½ | 5,810 |
2 | 10,160 |
3 | 17,420 |
4 | 25,120 |
6 | 70,570 |
8 | 117,610 |
Outside the corporation: The system capacity charge (tap-in fee) to be charged for sewer service furnished to buildings or properties outside the city, but connected to the sanitary sewer system of the city, shall be equal to the charge as calculated above in division (2) hereof, plus 50%. All other provisions of division (2) shall also apply to this section.
(3) For multi-family residential housing of at least ten units per building, that does not install individual service lines to each unit, tap-in fees will be based on 75% of the fees above calculated based upon the number of units at minimum meter size or actual meter size, whichever fee is greater.
(4) Where an existing structure is currently served by city water and is increasing the size of the water meter, the property shall be charged the difference between the current tap-in fee value for the existing meter size and the tap-in fee for the proposed water meter size.
(F) Penalty. A penalty of 5% shall be added to all bills for which payment has not been received in the City Building by 4:30 p.m. on the due date printed on the bill.
(G) Charges to be a lien. Each sewer charge levied pursuant to this chapter is hereby made a lien upon the premises charged therewith. If the same is not paid within 30 days after it shall be due and payable, it shall be certified to the Auditor of Warren County by law, and be collected as other municipal taxes collected.
(H) Monthly billing. The city shall bill customers for sanitary sewer charges on a monthly basis.
(I) Readiness to serve charge. In instances where water service has been disconnected to unoccupied properties, for which an active water, sewer, or electric utility account exists, a monthly readiness to serve charge equal to the monthly minimum sewer use rate will be charged. The purpose of this charge is to support the cost of maintaining the sewer collection and treatment that remains available to serve the property.
(Am. Ord. 2047, passed 8-26-75; Am. Ord. 5225, passed 6-24-80; Am. Ord. 5370, passed 12-22-81; Am. Ord. 5431, passed 11-23-82; Am. Ord. 5648,passed 1-22-85; Am. Ord. 6156, passed 12-22-87; Am. Ord. 6560, passed 11-27-90; Am. Ord. 6672, passed 12-1-91; Am. Ord. 6899, passed 1-1-94; Am. Ord. 7021, passed 12-13-94; Am. Ord. 7040, passed 1-10-95; Am. Ord. 7144, passed 11-28-95; Am. Ord. 7163, passed 12-26-95; Am. Ord. 8479, passed 6-25-02; Am. Ord. 8797, passed 7-22-03; Am. Ord. 8818, passed 8-26-03; Am. Ord. 9120, passed 3-22-05; Am. Ord. 9240, passed 12-13-05; Am. Ord. 9411, passed 11-14-06; Am. Ord. 9621, passed 11-27-07; Am. Ord. 9789, passed 11-24-08; Am. Ord. 2009-109, passed 11-23-09; Am. Ord. 2011-095, passed 11-21-11; Am. Ord. 2012-097, passed 12-4-12; Am. Ord. 2013-091, passed 8-27-13; Am. Ord. 2014-089, passed 11-11-14; Am. Ord. 2015-089, passed 9-8- 15; Am. Ord. 2017-112, passed 11-28-17; Am. Ord. 2020-112, passed 11-24-20; Am. Ord. 2022-018, passed 2-22-22; Am. Ord. 2022-119, passed 11-9-22; Am. Ord. 2023-080, passed 9-12- 23; Am. Ord. 2023-104, passed 11-28-23)