(A) For the purpose of providing funds for the city’s waste water treatment, force mains, lift stations and sewage collection systems, and the plant and facilities therewith, and the payment of capital charges represented by bonds, certificates of indebtedness or otherwise, which may be used to finance the costs of additions or expansions to the facilities, and the payment of reasonable requirements or reserves for replacement in obsolescence thereof, there is hereby imposed upon each lot, parcel of land, building or premises having any connection with the city’s public sanitary sewer system, a sewer availability charge (SAC), as hereinafter provided.
(B) Properties in the city that are improved and have facilities that utilize the sanitary sewer system and that abut upon streets or other places where the sanitary sewer is located are subject to the sewer availability charge provided for in this section. The sewer availability charge shall be imposed in addition to the user charges for sanitary sewer service and shall be determined and administered as follows.
(1) The sewer availability charge must be paid prior to the issuance of an applicable permit and before connecting to the city’s sanitary sewer system.
(2) If, after the initial sewer availability charge is paid, an additional building permit is issued, the use of the property changes or a new sanitary sewer connection is made, the sewer availability charge will be recalculated and any additional charges must be paid.
(3) The unit charge multiplier for the sewer availability charge shall be set forth from time to time by resolution of the City Council.
(C) The amount of the sewer availability charge for a particular property shall be calculated by first determining the number of equivalent residential connections (ERCs) applicable to the property. The number of ERCs shall be determined by using the most current Metropolitan Council Environmental Services Sewer Availability Procedure Manual. The number of ERCs for a use not represented in the procedure manual shall be decided by the City Engineer based on estimated flows. Once the number of ERCs is determined, the sewer availability charge for the property shall be calculated by multiplying the number of ERCs for the property by the sewer availability unit charge.
(Prior Code, § 710.15) (Ord. 2008-09, passed 8-6-2008) Penalty, see § 10.99