(A) Benefit fee charge.
(1) Applicability. This benefit fee, hereinafter referred to as the trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee, is to partially compensate the city for the investment required to provide the necessary sanitary sewer facilities required to transmit sewage discharged from sanitary sewer service line connections to the city's sewage collector system and treatment plant facilities sufficient to treat same.
(a) The trunk line facilities include, but are not limited to, main trunk and interceptor sanitary sewer lines, lift station pumping facilities and related appurtenances, but exclude local sanitary sewer distribution lines into which sewage is normally discharged direct from service lines.
(b) Treatment plant capacity facilities shall include all buildings, grounds, equipment and appurtenances necessary for the adequate treatment of sewage as required by the Environmental Protection Agency.
(c) The trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee is, in addition to any other benefit fee or assessment that may have been paid or is applicable for local sanitary sewer distribution line facilities, as determined by the Director of Public Service as not being part of the aforesaid main trunk line facilities or treatment plant facilities.
(d) In the event that the Director of Public Service determines that the land involved has been previously assessed or a benefit fee has been paid for the same trunk line facilities, the applicable trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee as determined in division (2) hereof shall be reduced by the amount of such previous payment. Such reduction shall not exceed the benefit fee that would otherwise be payable as specified elsewhere.
(e) This trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee shall apply to all land, lots, premises or buildings located inside or outside the city's corporate limits, that are connected to the city sanitary sewer system after the effective date of this section. Such benefit fee shall be paid in advance before any tap or connection is made to the city's sanitary sewer system or at the time a building permit is issued.
(f) All sanitary sewer connections shall conform to the city's standards and regulations relating to same as specified by the Director of Public Service.
(2) Determination of trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee. The trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee that is payable shall be determined by the Director in the following manner: by applying a unit charge of $1,800 per unit for the direct or indirect connection of any building, structure or other facility with a sanitary sewer which is or will become a part of the sanitary sewerage system of the city in order for the property or portion thereof on which such building, structure or other facility is situated to bear its proportionate share of the cost of construction of trunk sewers and treatment plant facilities. A unit shall be determined as follows:
(a) Single-family building is one unit.
(b) Two-family building is two units.
(c) Multiple-family, commercial and industrial buildings, the number of units allocated to such a building will be based on a comparison of the estimated average daily sewage flow and/or strength for such a building as compared to a single-family building. The estimated average daily sewage flow and strength chart used in this determination, which chart may be amended from time to time by the Director, as conditions and circumstances warrant, shall be maintained in the office of the Director for examination by the applicant.
(3) Connection for which no special assessment is levied. All applications for installation of sanitary sewer service must be made at the office of the Building and Zoning Department and shall be made by the property owner or his or her authorized agent. In addition to the payments required by divisions (A)(1) and (2) and (B), a charge shall be made for connection to any sanitary sewer main or distribution line for which no special assessment has been levied upon the premises to be served for any part of the cost of such construction or installation. Such additional charge shall be in the amount of $38 per front foot of the premises to be served by such connection unless City Council previously has enacted legislation setting a charge specific to the actual cost of the abutting improvement. On January 30, 2009 and January 30 of each year thereafter, the Director of Public Service shall adjust the additional $38 charge based on the change in the cost of constructing or installing comparable sanitary sewer mains or distribution pipes during the preceding calendar year. The additional charge provided for in this division (A)(3) shall not apply to a connection to serve a parcel of land within a subdivision for which the developer of the subdivision paid for the installation of the sanitary sewer main or distribution line.
('65 Code, § 935.01) (Ord. 18-89, passed 2-21-89; Am. Ord. 98-113, passed 9-15-98; Am. Ord. 01-038, passed 4-17-01)
(B) Connection permit required. No premises shall be connected into the sanitary sewer system of the city until the trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee is paid in full and written permission is granted by the Director of Public Service to connect into the sanitary sewer. Such fee shall be paid prior to the issuance of any building permit.
('65 Code, § 935.03)
(C) Use of funds. All funds collected from such trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee shall be deposited with the City Treasurer and shall be kept in a fund called Sanitary Sewer Tap Fund. The Fund shall be used for the cost of the construction of trunk lines, over and above the cost of minimum service distribution lines, for treatment plant facilities necessary to the city sanitary sewerage system, and for appurtenant equipment and pumping stations that may be required.
('65 Code, § 935.05)
(D) Deferred payments. The Director of Public Service may defer payment of 80% of the trunk line and treatment plant capacity benefit fee and 80% of the connection charge (including any deferred tap in fee in an assessment ordinance) for any owner of residential property that must be connected to the sanitary sewer due to a defective septic system. The amount of payment deferred shall be billed monthly for a period not to exceed 48 months until paid in full. The amount to be deferred shall be secured by a promissory note and by a mortgage on the property to be served by the connection. If an ordinance provides for the tap-in charge to be paid to a third party who paid for the construction of the sanitary sewer, the Director of Public Service shall pay the third party the amount due at the time of the connection out of funds appropriated for that purpose.
(Ord. 69-77, passed 6-21-77; Am. Ord. 08-047, passed 6-18-08; Am. Ord. 11-043, passed 5-17-11; Am. Ord. 11-044, passed 7-5-11)