(A) User charges shall be levied on all users of the public sewage works. Such charges shall cover the cost of operation and maintenance, replacement and other administrative costs of such sewage works. The user charge system shall distribute these costs in proportion to each user’s contribution to the wastewater loading of the public sewage works. These charges and any connection charges shall be established by resolution of the City Council.
(B) Users of the sewage works shall be billed for these charges on basis consistent with the city’s water billing cycle.
(C) The owner of the premises served by the sewage works shall be responsible for payment of the sewer user charge for that property notwithstanding the fact that the property may be occupied by a tenant or other occupant who may be required by the owner to pay said charges.
(D) Sewer user charges levied in accordance with this subchapter shall be a debt due to the city and a lien upon the property. If this debt is not paid, consistent with the city’s water billing cycle and payment deadlines, it shall be deemed delinquent and may be recovered by civil action in the name of the city against the property owner, the person or both.
(E) In the event of failure to pay sewer charges after they have become delinquent, the city shall have the right to remove or close sewer connections, or discontinue water service, and enter upon the property for accomplishing such purposes. The expense of such discontinuance, removal or closing, as well as the expense of restoring service, shall be a debt due to the city and lien upon the property and may be recovered by civil action in the name of the city against the property owner, the person or both.
(F) Sewer service shall not be restored until all charges, including the expense of interest (if any), removal, closing and restoration, shall have been paid.
(G) Changes of ownership or occupancy of premises found delinquent shall not be cause of reducing or eliminating these penalties.
(H) The sewer user charges established in division (A) above shall, at a minimum, be reviewed biannually and revised periodically to reflect actual costs of operation, maintenance and replacement of the sewage works, and to maintain the equitability of the user charge with respect to proportional distribution of the costs of operation and maintenance in proportion to each user’s contribution to the total wastewater loading of the sewage works.
(Ord. 1136, passed 2-19-1990)