§ 53.062 SEWER MAIN CONSTRUCTION CHARGE.

   (A)   Rate. Hereafter, any person, before obtaining a permit to connect to any public sanitary sewer, whether lateral, main or interceptor, shall pay a sewer main charge therefor, at a rate per front foot of property to be served by the permit. This sewer main construction charge shall be in addition to any other connection fees or permits required. Provided, however, that no sewer main construction charge shall be required if the sewer service connection is within a subdivision having been platted since 1975 and within which the sanitary sewer system has been constructed at the expense of the developer of the subdivision. This charge may be changed from time to time by resolution of the city as such change is deemed necessary.

   (B)   Property being annexed. The sewer main construction charge in division (A) above applies only to property within the city limits. The sewer main construction charge for property being annexed to the city shall be set forth in the annexation agreement.

(Prior Code, § 8-4-22) (Ord. 92-554, passed 10-21-1992; Ord. 15-811, passed 11-19-2015)

§ 53.063 SERVICE LINE INSTALLATION FEE.

   (A)   Rate. At the time an applicant applies for city sewer service, a service line installation fee shall be charged. The service line installation fee is to cover the costs incurred by the city in installing the sewer service line from, and including the sewer tap at the main to the property line. The service line installation fee for the various sizes of service lines shall include a sewer saddle and repair of asphalt street surfacing per square foot.

   (B)   Review of fees and costs. Fees and costs shall be reviewed annually and revised by resolution of the city so that the fees and costs adequately cover the costs actually incurred by the city in installing these service lines.

(Prior Code, § 8-4-23) (Ord. 92-554, passed 10-21-1992; Ord. 15-811, passed 11-19-2015)

§ 53.064 SERVICE CALL CHARGES.

   The city may require a service charge in an amount not to exceed the actual costs to the city, for service calls which are only for the convenience and benefit of the customer.

(Prior Code, § 8-4-24) (Ord. 92-554, passed 10-21-1992; Ord. 15-811, passed 11-19-2015)

§ 53.065 MONTHLY SEWER RATES.

   (A)   General.

      (1)   This treatment work is primarily dependent and will use the equivalent user concept. The equivalent user system has been set up based on flow.

      (2)   A sewer user charge shall be levied on all users of the sewage collection and treatment facilities, to cover the actual or estimated cost of operation, maintenance, replacement and financing of this facility. The user charge system shall distribute these costs to each user or user class in approximate portion to such user’s contribution to the total wastewater load of such facilities.

   (B)   Basis for rates. The sewer user rates for each user (or user class) shall be based on the user’s contribution to the total wastewater loading of the treatment facilities in comparison to a standard equivalent user as defined below. Each user (or user class) shall be assigned an equivalent user number to be multiplied by a constant monthly factor to determine the basic user monthly rate. Special users contributing sewage of excessive flow and/or strength, for which the tabulated equivalent users below do not apply, shall be individually calculated as provided below. The constant monthly cost factor shall be set by resolution of the city.

   (C)   Equivalent user. One equivalent user shall be defined as contributing 210 gallons per day of wastewater containing not more than seven-tenths pounds of five-day BOD and five-tenths pounds of suspended solids. The equivalent user flow has been developed from population and sewage usage records which indicate an average single dwelling unit has three and five-tenths people contributing 70 gallons per day per person. Standard engineering data indicates two-tenths pounds of five-day BOD and 14 one-hundredths pounds of suspended solids respectively per person per day. The basic equivalent user shall be subject to revision if population, water usage, sewage volume and/or other information indicates flow and/or strength significantly different from that defined herein. Revisions of the basic equivalent user criteria shall normally only be made upon the recommendation of a registered professional engineer.

   (D)   Equivalent user schedule. The number of equivalent users to be assigned each user and/or user class shall be in accordance with the following equivalent user schedule. Assignment of equivalent users shall apply for one year until the next annual user charge review. Users so indicated or not included in this schedule shall be considered special users and shall be evaluated separately as sewage contributed by any of the following users is in excess in provided below. If the information indicates that the strength of comparison with the allowable limits listed above, then a surcharge shall be levied against such users as provided below. Any of the users in the following schedule may be classified as special users if information on their contribution flow and/or strength indicates a need to do so. A single user having more than one classification of use shall be the sum of the fees. The minimum monthly sewer user charge shall be one equivalent user.

Equivalent User Schedule (1.0 Minimum)
Classification	Equivalent Users
Beauty shop/barber shop	1.0 per business
Bowling alley	0.5 per alley
Car washes	1.0 per bay
Churches	1.0 church & parish
plus	1.0 gym
Daycare/kindergarten	0.0278 per student
Duplex	1.0 per unit
Grade school	0.034 per student
Laundromats	0.5 per machine
Lodges and halls	1.0 per 300 seats
Lounges	0.056 per seat
Motel/hotel	0.23 per room
Multi-family with washer facilities	1.0 per unit
Multi-family without washer facilities	0.67 per unit
Permanent mobile home	1.0 per unit
Professional offices	1.0 1-13 employees
	1.5 14-20 employees
	2.0 21-26 employees
Recreational vehicle park	0.13 per RV space
Restaurants
3 meal/day	0.17 per seat
2 meal/day	0.11 per seat
1 meal/day	0.056 per seat
Retail-commercial	1.0 1-15 employees
	1.5 16-22 employees
	2.0 23-30 employees
Secondary school	0.053 per student
Single-family	1.0 per house
Theater	0.02 per seats

 

      (1)   Residential users. Single-family homes, duplexes, multi-family units, apartments, mobile home parks;

      (2)   Business and professional offices. Retail commercial, professional retail service;

      (3)   Commercial. Laundromats, service stations, restaurants, daycare, mortuary, hotels, motels and the like;

      (4)   Institutional. Churches, lodges, schools; and

      (5)   Industrial. Those producing a finished product which involves the disposing of a waste material to the sewage system.

   (E)   Surcharge for excessive strength. When any user contributes wastewater having an average BOD and/or suspended loading in excess of the designated allowable limits hereinafter designated, a surcharge shall be levied against such user. This surcharge shall be based on the average degree of excessive loading, and applied as a percentage of the basic user charge as provided in the above schedule, or otherwise for special users. The BOD and suspended solids loading shall be determined from estimates or tests made by city officials or its Public Works Superintendent. A copy of the list of users surcharged, the characteristics of their sewage and the surcharge for each shall be kept on file at all times in the office of the Clerk. The user’s monthly surcharge shall be computed by use of the following equation.

      US = [(b/B)-1 + (s/S)-11 x(UMC)]

      (1)   US represents the user’s monthly surcharge to be added to the basic user’s monthly charge;

      (2)   UMC represents the basic user’s monthly charge (for treatment only) and shall not be less than one;

      (3)   b represents the average BOD loading above which is a user’s wastewater contribution, expressed in parts per million;

      (4)   B represents the allowable limit of BOD loading above which a user’s surcharge shall be levied, hereby designated as being 200 parts per million;

      (5)   s represents the average suspended solids loading of the user’s wastewater contribution, expressed in parts per million; and

      (6)   S represents the allowable limit of suspended solids loading above which a user’s surcharge shall be levied, hereby designated as being 140 parts per million.

   (F)   Special users. If, in addition to excessive strength, a user is determined to add flow to the wastewater treatment facilities in excess of 6,500 gallons per month, the above formula shall be increased by a factor of total flow divided by 6,500 gallons per month multiplied by one equivalent user. In order to determine the flow of this special user, the city may monitor sewage and water flow in order to determine total flow. The value of UMC used in the formula above will be the same value as assigned single dwelling units. A copy of the list of special users, the characteristics of their sewage and the special user’s monthly charge shall be kept on file at all times in the office of the Clerk.

   (G)   Review and revisions of rates. The sewer user charges shall, at a minimum, be reviewed annually and updated by resolution of the city to reflect actual costs of operation, maintenance, replacement and financing of the sewage collection and treatment facilities. Any revisions of the user charges shall be based on actual operation, maintenance, replacement and financing expenses, and/or on significant changes in the total number of equivalent users, the total daily flow, the total daily BOD, and/or the total suspended solids. The city may install flow measuring devices and/or collect wastewater samples at any time in any user’s service line to determine actual usage as a basis for revisions of the user’s charge. Revisions due only to changes in expenses and user class shall be made by the city. Revisions involving user’s flow, BOD and/or suspended solids shall normally only be made upon the recommendation of a registered professional engineer. All changes in user charges applicable to this chapter shall be computed by the methods outlined herein.

   (H)   User request for rate change. Any sewer user, who feels his or her user charge is unjust and inequitable as applied to his or her premises within the spirit and intent of the foregoing provisions, may make written application to the city requesting a review of the user charge. This written request shall, where necessary, show the actual or estimated average flow and strength of his or her wastewater in comparison with the values upon which the change is based, including how the measurements or estimates were made. Any flow measurements and/or testing of wastewater shall be approved in detail by the city and/or its Public Works Superintendent. Review of the request by the city shall determine if it is substantiated or not, including recommended further study of the matter for the city and/or user by a registered professional engineer.

(Prior Code, § 8-4-25) (Ord. 92-554, passed 10-21-1992)

§ 53.066 METERED SERVICE.

   Whenever the city shall deem it appropriate and in the best interests of the city and its citizens to require a user to have the sewer and/or water service to his or her facilities metered to more appropriately determine the amount of service provided such user by the system, the city may by resolution require the user to install a meter and/or meters which will accurately measure the service provided; and the city may further establish by resolution the rates to be charged for such service as will properly pay the fair share of the services provided such user. The cost of the meter and its installation shall be borne by the user.

(Prior Code, § 8-4-26) (Ord. 92-554, passed 10-21-1992)

§ 53.067 BILLING PROCEDURE AND PERIOD.

   (A)   Rate. Accounts shall be charged a rate in accordance with the rate schedule found in § 53.065 of this code or as such may hereinafter be amended and revised by the city and may be included separately or in conjunction with the monthly water bill.

   (B)   Monthly statement. The Clerk shall furnish to each property owner, landlord, tenant or agent, a monthly statement of the amount due for sewer service for that month. The failure of any service user to receive notice or statement will in no way affect the obligation of the user to remit monthly as required.

   (C)   Initial billing. The initial billing for premises occupied less than one month shall be charged only for that portion of the month during which the premises were occupied.

   (D)   Deposit required.

      (1)   Each owner, tenant or lessee of property, before utility services are furnished, shall pay a refundable deposit. The amount collected may be amended by resolution of the City Council.

      (2)   All such deposits shall be placed in a reserve account managed by the Treasurer/Finance Director.

      (3)   Refundable deposits may be transferred to another physical address on the city utility system if current bill is paid in full and upon written request from the owner, tenant or lessee of notice of transfer of the account to a different address.

      (4)   If city utility bills have been paid in full and on time for the last 12 consecutive months, a credit will be added to the account in the amount of the deposit.

      (5)   In the event that an account becomes into arrears for a period of longer than 60 days, the deposit will be applied to the amount in arrears. Before the service to the owner, tenant or lessee resumes, the amount in arrears must be paid in full and a new deposit shall be submitted to the city.

      (6)   Upon vacating the premises, the city will be notified immediately. The owner, tenant or lessee will, at that time, submit a written request, which shall be furnished by the city, for a refund and furnish a forwarding address. The refundable deposit will then be transferred to the appropriate Utility Fund of the city and credited to the account. The balance of the account, if any, shall be refunded to the person making the deposit, his or her heir or a personal representative within 30 days of the written request.

      (7)    No interest will be paid on funds to be returned. If such refund cannot be made within three months because of the unknown whereabouts of the person making the deposit, the balance of the deposit shall be placed in the appropriate utility fund.

   (E)   Waiver of payment. When any person determines his or her home, business and the like is destroyed and/or uninhabitable for an extended time due to circumstances beyond his control such as fire, flood, wind or some other act of God, he or she may apply in writing to the Utility Clerk for a waiver of payment of his or her city monthly water service fee and city monthly sewer fee. This waiver must be approved by the City Council. Approval is at the City Council’s discretion and is not automatic based upon the fact that a building is destroyed and/or uninhabitable. This waiver shall not exceed six months’ time period. The time period may be extended upon further application. Criteria to be considered by the City Council shall include:

      (1)   The cause of the damage;

      (2)   The extent of the damage;

      (3)   The property owner’s intent as to whether or not he or she plans to rebuild;

      (4)   Estimated time period to rebuild or repair damage; and

      (5)   City services are not available.

(Prior Code, § 8-4-27) (Ord. 92-554, passed 10-21-1992; Ord. 05-700, passed 10-5-2005; Ord. 15-811, passed 11-19-2015)

§ 53.068 DUE DATE.

   Bills rendered for sewer service are payable upon receipt and become past due 25 days from the date on which rendered. When the past due date falls on a legal holiday or on a date when city offices are not open for business, the next regular business day is considered the past due date. When remittances are made by mail, bills shall be deemed paid upon receipt.

(Prior Code, § 8-4-28) (Ord. 92-554, passed 10-21-1992; Ord. 15-811, passed 11-19-2015)