(A) Ownership. The Water Department will own and maintain all water meters. The Water Department will not pay rent or any other charge for a meter or other water facilities, including housing and connections on a customer’s premises.
(B) Installation. Installation of water meters shall be performed only by authorized employees of the Water Department. All meters shall be sealed by the Water Department at the time of installation, and no seal shall be altered or broken except by one of its authorized employees.
(C) The size and type of meter. Applicant may request and receive any size meter regularly stocked or furnished by the Water Department, provided the request is reasonable and further provided that the meter is not greatly oversized or undersized, as determined by the Water Superintendent. The Water Department reserves the right to determine the type of meter to be installed.
(D) Location of meters. Meters shall normally be placed at the curb or property lines. The meter will be installed wherever the applicant desires within reason, but the location must be approved by the Water Department. The meters will not be located in driveways or other locations where damage to the meter or its related parts may occur unless protective measures are undertaken.
(E) Joint use of meters. The joining of several customers to take advantage of the single minimum charges and large quantity rates shall be prohibited, except under special contract, in writing, with the City Council.
(F) Charges.
(1) Funds in excess of utility expenses. If revenues received from the imposition of water and sewer rates exceed expenses of the current operation, capital improvement costs and debt service for the water and sewer systems, the excess water and sewer revenues shall be held, respectively in the Water Reserve Fund and Sewer Reserve Fund, and the use of those funds shall be limited to the future maintenance, improvement and debt payment for the water and sewer systems, respectively.
(2) Water; residential equivalent unit.
(a) Except as provided following the chart below, the number of residential equivalent units (REUs) shall be determined by meter size, as follows:
Water Meter Size | Number of REUs | Allowable Consumption Included in Base Rate (Cubic Feet) | Base Water Rate Per Month | Base Sewer Rate Per Month |
¾-inch | 1 | 0 | $33 | $50 |
1-inch | 2 | 0 | $75 | $100 |
1½-inch | 4 | 0 | $150 | $200 |
2-inch | 8 | 0 | $250 | $400 |
3-inch | 16 | 0 | $400 | $800 |
(b) The number of residential equivalent units (REUs) for duplexes, triplexes, manufactured dwelling parks, multi-family dwelling and businesses with apartment where two or more dwelling units are served by a single meter, shall be the sum of the dwelling units served by that meter, irrespective of meter size.
(3) Water rates.
(a) All dwellings (REUs) using water from the City of Union will be required to have a three-fourths inch meter (or larger if required by special circumstances e.g., fire suppression system). The base rate water for residential service shall be $33 per month per residential equivalent unit (REU) as defined in this section, which base rate does not include charges for water usage.
(b) In addition to the base fee set forth in division (F)(3)(a), the first 1,000 cubic feet of water used per billing cycle shall be subject to a charge of $0.005 per cubic foot. Thereafter, water usage in excess of 1,000 cubic feet shall be charged at the rate of $0.0125 per cubic foot, except during the time frame from June 1 to October 1, during which time the first 2,000 cubic feet of water usage per billing cycle shall be charged $0.005 per cubic foot, and shall be charged $0.0125 per cubic foot used thereafter.
(4) Sewer rates.
(a) The residential equivalent unit (REU) for sewer is 725 cubic feet of effluent. Each additional REU used, such as by heavy industrial or commercial laundry use, for example, will be multiples of the REU rate similar to the water chart (division (F)(2)(a) above).
(b) The base rate for sewer service from the City of Union shall be $50 per month per residential equivalent unit (REU).
(c) Hotels, motels and RV parks will be charged one base rate for the business and pro-rated one-thirtieth per use day of rooms or hookups.
(5) Rates following disconnection.
(a) When water service to a lot, parcel, or unit has been disconnected, the account shall no longer be subject to the base rate, or to any maintenance or usage charges. Users disconnecting services will be responsible only for paying a disconnect fee (turn off) and for any water usage that has occurred since the last meter reading.
(b) Water or sewer service shall not be resumed without authorization from the City of Union, and the payment of any fees that may be due and owing, including a fee for resumption of service or re-connection.
(c) Any property with water and sewer services that has been disconnected for a period greater than or equal to three years, shall pay system development charges, if any such charges are enacted in the interim, to reconnect service to the system.
(6) Rates: use of water no sewer or sewer no water.
(a) Those accounts receiving city water service but no sewer service will pay the amounts owed for water service as set forth in division (F)(3) above.
(b) Those accounts receiving city sewer service will pay full rates for sewer service.
(7) Adjustments. For the purposes of this section, a 0% - 3.0% increase in the above rates in divisions (F)(3), (4), (5) and (6) above will be made yearly to keep the water and sewer rates current with the increased cost of living.
(a) A 1.5% increase will automatically go into effect on April 1 annually should Council fail to address the rates as set forth in division (F)(7)(b) below.
(b) The City Council shall review the current rate annually in January (but no later than March) and may increase rates as determined to be appropriate, but not to exceed 3.0%.
(c) In the event of an EMERGENCY, defined as a major loss to the water or sewer system, the need to respond to an unfunded mandate of the state or the federal government, an act of God, terrorism or vandalism, Council may adjust the rates appropriately.
(d) The City Council is further authorized to decrease sewer rates, water rates, or both, in the event the Council determines that such decrease will not reduce the current acceptable level of services.
(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, or any provision of any ordinance of the City of Union, the City Council is hereby authorized to set or amend all water and sewer rates, and system development charges, by resolution.
(8) Special circumstances and requirements. For any utility rates not expressly provided for in this section, including, but not limited to, utility hookup charges, standby fire rates and contract rates, the City Council retains the authority to set rates by resolution.
(G) Effective date of metered rates. The rates herein provided to be paid and collected shall be effective for all collection periods beginning on and after the date on which the City Council, by resolution, established the beginning of metered charges.
(Ord. 421, passed 5-30-1990; Ord. 508, passed 6-28-2007; Ord. 545, passed 11-10-2014; Ord. 563, passed 9-13-2021)