(a) Bills Generally. Wastewater (sanitary sewer) service charges shall be as provided for in Section 1040.27. The owner of the premises served, the occupant thereof and the user of the services shall be jointly and severally liable to pay for the services to such premises, and the services are furnished to the premises, by the Village, only upon the condition that such persons are so liable therefor to the Village. Bills for wastewater (sanitary sewer) service charges shall be due and payable thirty days after the date when the statements of such charges are rendered and shall become delinquent if remaining unpaid thereafter.
(Ord. 1996-16. Passed 6-10-96.)
(b) Due Date and Delinquent Bills. All charges for such services shall be due and payable thirty days after the date when the bills for such charges are rendered, and shall become delinquent if remaining unpaid thereafter. Delinquent charges shall be subject to the late payment penalty fee provided for in Section 1050.01.
(Ord. 1996-10. Passed 5-28-96.)
(c) Delinquency and Discontinuation of Wastewater Service.
(1) All sanitary sewer service (wastewater service) bills shall be deemed delinquent if not paid on or before their due date as provided for in subsection (a) above. No less than two business days after the due date, the Village shall cause a notice (referred to as the second notice), relative to any unpaid bill, to be sent by first-class mail to the consumer, and to the taxpayer whose name is shown on the real estate tax bill for the parcel involved, as the owner of record if the consumer is not the owner. Said notice shall state as follows:
A. That the bill is delinquent;
B. The date and time of a payment hearing date for consumers or owners who would like to dispute or discuss the bill, with said date being no less than the greater of ten days following the date of the mailing of the notice or fifteen days following the due date; and
C. That if the bill remains unpaid, and if the individual fails to attend the hearing, or attends the hearing and does not successfully dispute the bill or come to a settlement in relation to the bill, sanitary sewer (wastewater service) may be disconnected, a fine may be imposed as provided for in Section 1040.99, and a lien may be created against the real estate as provided for in Section 1050.03 no less than ten days following the hearing date.
(2) The hearing provided for by this subsection shall be conducted at the Village's offices, during the normal business hours of the Village, by the Village Manager or his or her designee.
(3) At least two business days prior to any discontinuation of wastewater (sanitary sewer) service, the consumer or owner shall be notified of the shut off by the physical placement of a shut off tag on the front door of the main building on the property.
(4) In the event the Village is required to disconnect wastewater (sanitary sewer) service under this subsection (c), said service shall not be reconnected unless the outstanding bill has been paid in full and the Village has been reimbursed for the costs it has incurred, and will incur, relative to the disconnection and reconnection of said wastewater (sanitary sewer) service.
(d) Wastewater Shut-Off; Responsibility for Payment. When wastewater (sanitary sewer) is shut off, if the building has not been demolished, the consumer shall pay the regular minimum rate per month in accordance with Section 1040.27(b). Once the consumer has informed the Village that there is no longer any buildings on the property, and the Village has confirmed same, then the minimum payments will cease.
(Ord. 1996-17. Passed 6-10-96.)
(e) Revenues. All revenues and moneys derived from the operation of the sewerage system shall be deposited in the Sewer Maintenance and Extension Fund. All such revenues and moneys shall be held by the Village Treasurer separate and apart from his or her private funds and separate and apart from all other funds of the Village. All such revenues and moneys, without any deductions whatever, shall be delivered to the Village Treasurer not more than ten days after receipt of the same, or at such more frequent intervals as may from time to time be directed by the Mayor and Council.
(f) Accounts and Audits. The Village Treasurer (Commissioner of Accounts and Finance) shall establish a proper system of accounts and shall keep proper books, records and accounts in which complete and correct entries shall be made of all transactions relative to the sewerage system, and at regular annual intervals he or she shall cause to be made an audit by an independent auditing concern of the books to show the receipts and disbursements of the Sewer Maintenance and Extension Fund. In addition to the customary operating statements, the annual audit report shall also reflect the revenues and operating expenses of the wastewater facilities, including a replacement cost, to indicate that wastewater service charges under the waste cost recovery system and capital amounts required to be recovered under the industrial cost recovery system do in fact comply with these regulations. In this regard, the financial information to be shown in the audit report shall include the following:
(1) Billing data to show the total billed per fiscal year;
(2) Debt service for the next succeeding fiscal year;
(3) The number of users connected to the system; and
(4) The number of nonmetered users.
(g) Notice of Rates. Each user shall be notified by the Village, in conjunction with a regular bill, of the rate of wastewater service charges and of that portion of the user charges or ad valorem taxes which is attributable to wastewater treatment services, including the financial information mentioned in subsection (f) hereof.
(h) Nonpayment Prohibited. No person shall fail to pay the sanitary sewerage service charges for which he or she is responsible pursuant to Section 1040.27 and this section.
(i) Access to Records. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or its authorized representative shall have access to any books, documents, papers and records of the Village which are applicable to the Village's system of user charges or industrial cost recovery for the purpose of making audits, examinations, excerpts and transcriptions thereof to ensure compliance with the terms of the special and general conditions to any State grant.
(j) Effective Date of Rates. The rates and service charges established for user charges in Section 1040.27 and this section shall be effective immediately upon adoption of this section (Ordinance 1989-55a, passed April 10, 1989).
(k) Appeals. The method for computation of rates and service charges established in Section 1040.27 and this section shall be made available to a user within fourteen days of receipt of a written request therefor. Any disagreement over the method used or in the computations thereof shall be remedied by the Health Officer within fourteen days after notification of a formal written appeal outlining the discrepancies.
(Ord. 1989-55a. Passed 4-10-89.)
(Ord. 2006-48. Passed 12-11-06.)