(1) Charges. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this chapter, all charges for sewer service within the city shall be established in the city fee schedule.
(2) Added charges. In respect to property which shall be connected with the sewer system for the discharge and disposal of other residential, commercial or industrial sewage waste, or any waste unusual in either character or amount, then in addition to all applicable charges hereunder, Council may impose a supplemental sewage rate charge as the Council shall determine as reasonable and warranted in the basis of all relevant factors; however, no charges may be imposed before ten days written notice to the effected party and allowing him or her the right to a hearing before the Council on the charge.
(3) Sewer availability charge.
(a) There is hereby imposed upon all new sanitary sewer connections to the municipal sanitary sewer system within the city a sanitary sewer availability charge to reimburse the city for expenses incurred in the past and to be incurred in the future for making sewage treatment facilities available in the sum established annually by the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services.
(Am. Ord. 09-94, passed 6-13-1994)
(b) The city shall pay from the sum any sum charged by the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) as a result of the connection.
(c) Payment of the sanitary sewer availability charge to the city shall precede the issuance of a sanitary sewer connection permit, and the sum shall be paid in addition to any other charges imposed by the city.
(4) Sewer availability charge reserve charge.
(a) Recitals. As the MCES has determined to reserve unused capacity in the metropolitan disposal system each year commencing in 1973 for local government units in which new buildings to be connected to the system and new connections to the system are commenced during the year; and to allocate the debt service costs of the unused capacity for the year among the local government units as affected, and as the city is affected beginning on March 1, 1973; and in order for the city to pay the costs allocated to it each year, it will be necessary to establish sewer service availability and connection charges for all buildings to be constructed or connected to the metropolitan disposal system on or after March 1, 1973.
(b) Establishment of charges. For the purpose of paying costs of reserve capacity so allocated to the city each year by the MCES, there is established a charge for:
1. The availability of treatment works and interceptors comprising the metropolitan disposal system;
2. Connections, direct and indirect, to the metropolitan disposal system;
3. The charge is imposed on each building or structure in the city and each connection to the metropolitan disposal system directly or through the city system, inside any sewer service area established by the MCES, construction of which is commenced on or after March 1, 1973. The charge shall be payable upon the issuance of a building permit or a connection permit, as the case may be, but no charge shall be due upon the issuance of a connection permit if a charge was paid upon issuance of a building permit.
4. The charge for each building or structure shall be equal to the number of units of sewage volume which it will discharge multiplied by the sum as shall be charged, assessed or established by the MCES at the time of the issuance of a building permit or a connection permit, as the case may be, for payment of the costs of reserve capacity to the MCES; and
5. In addition thereto, to cover the costs to the city for inspections, clerical work, contingencies and hook up fees from the building exterior to the property line, each applicant shall pay a fee as established by ordinance adopted by the City Council, which sum shall also be paid to the city at the time of issuance of a building permit or a connection permit, as the case may be.
(c) The administration. The city shall prepare or revise building permit or sewage connection permit application forms to provide information necessary for the computation of the number of units assignable to the building or structure in question and shall collect the applicable charge information available to the MCES upon request. If upon filing a report covering the permit with the MCES, the MCES determines that a greater number of units is assignable to the building or structure in question, any additional amount of cost allocated to the city as a result shall be paid by the person or company to whom the permit was granted.
(d) Credit. Any monies paid pursuant to this section shall be deducted from and credited toward the sewer availability charge required in this division, when the charge required to be later paid thereunder falls due upon actual connection to the municipal sanitary sewer system within the city.
(5) Statements. Statements for sewer rental charges for the preceding quarterly period shall be mailed to each customer on or before the fifth day of January, April, July and October of each year. There shall be added to all statements, not paid by the last of the month following the quarterly period covered by the statement, a penalty charge of 10% of the unpaid balance.
(6) Collection. Any amounts for collection due hereunder for sewer charges may be collected in an action brought for that purpose in the name of the city, or the city may certify to the county auditor the amounts due for sewer charges, including penalty, and $30 administration fee, together with the legal description of the premises served, and the county auditor shall thereupon enter the amount for collection with the tax levy on the premises with the taxes for the next ensuing year.
(Prior Code, § 402.14) (Am. Ord. 12-84, passed 11-26-1984)
Cross-reference:
City fee schedule, see § 218.01