(A) User charges.
(1) Users of the Cities of Wells-Easton-Minnesota Lake wastewater treatment works shall be identified as belonging to 1 of the following user classes:
(a) Residential;
(b) Commercial;
(c) Governmental;
(d) Institutional; or
(e) Industrial.
(2) The allocation of users to these categories for the purpose of assessing user charges and debt service charges shall be the responsibility of the city clerks or Public Works Director. Allocation of users to user classes shall be based on the substantive intent of the definitions of these classes contained herein.
(B) Costs. Each user shall pay operation, maintenance, and replacement costs in proportion to the user's proportionate contribution of wastewater flows and loadings to the treatment plant, with the minimum rate for loadings of B.O.D. and T.S.S. being the rate established for concentrations of 150 mg/l B.O.D. and 175 mg/l T.S.S. (i.e., normal domestic strength wastewater). Those industrial users discharging segregated normal domestic strength wastewater only can be classified as commercial users for the purpose of rate determination.
(C) Billable wastewater volume. The charges assessed residential users and those users of other classes discharging normal domestic strength wastewater shall be established proportionately according to billable wastewater volume. Billable wastewater volume shall be calculated as follows.
(1) Residential users. Billable wastewater volume for residential users shall be calculated on 100% of the metered water usage throughout the year.
(2) Nonresidential users. The billable wastewater volume of nonresidential users will be calculated on 100% of the metered water usage throughout the year or calculated on the basis of wastewater flow meters. The city may, at its discretion, require nonresidential users to install the additional water meters or wastewater flow meters as may be necessary to determine billable wastewater volume.
(D) Determination of user charges. User charges for normal domestic users shall be determined as follows.
(1) Calculation of unit cost for treatment of normal domestic strength wastewater.
(a) Uomr = Comr/Tbwv.
(b) Where:
1. Uomr = unit cost for operation, maintenance, and replacement in;
2. Comr = total annual OM & R costs; and
3. Tbwv = total annual billable wastewater volume in kgal.
(2) Calculation of user charge.
(a) Uc = Uomr x bwv.
(b) Where:
1. Uc = user charge;
2. Uomr = unit cost for operation, maintenance, and replacement in $/kgal; and
3. bwv = billable wastewater volume of a particular user in kgal.
(E) Recovery of local construction costs. Local construction costs of the wastewater treatment facility will be recovered through a debt service charge calculated using usage, connection, and general taxes as follows.
(1) Calculation of debt service unit cost for wastewater volume.
(a) Uds = Cds/Tbwv.
(b) Where:
1. Uds = unit cost for debt service in $/kgal;
2. Cds = cost of annual debt service assigned for wastewater volume; and
3. Tbwv = total annual billable wastewater volume in kgal.
(2) Calculation of debt service billable connection cost.
(a) UD = CDC/TC.
(b) Where:
1. UD = unit billable connection cost for debt service;
2. CDC = costs of annual debt service assigned for connections; and
3. Tc = total number of billable connections.
(3) Calculation of debt service charge.
(a) Dc = Uds x bwv + UD x U.
(b) Where:
1. Dc = debt service charge;
2. Uds = unit cost for debt service in $/kgal;
3. UD = unit billable connection cost for debt service;
4. U = number of billable connections for particular user; and
5. bwv = billable wastewater volume of a particular user in kgal.
(F) Determination of sewer service charges. The sewer service charge for a particular connection shall be determined as follows.
(1) SSC = Uc + Dc.
(2) Where:
(a) SSC = sewer service charge;
(b) Uc = user charge; and
(c) Dc = debt service charge.
(G) Wastewater collection system charges.
(1) The cities may elect to charge an additional fee for wastewater collection system maintenance or replacement of necessary collection system lines.
(2) This charge will be added to the SSC.
(H) Existing stabilization pond usage charges. An additional annual fee will be charged to Minnesota Lake and Easton for the usage of the City of Wells existing stabilization ponds. The usage charge has been established at $8,865 per year and $3,195 per year for Minnesota Lake and Easton, respectively, for a 20-year period. This charge will be added to the SSC for Minnesota Lake and Easton and subtracted for Wells.
(I) Assessment of additional charges.
(1) The sewer service charges established in §§ 50.35 et seq. shall not prevent the assessment of additional charges to users who discharge wastes with concentrations greater than normal domestic strength or wastes of unusual character, or contractual agreements with the users, as long as the following conditions are met.
(a) The user pays operation, maintenance, and replacements costs in proportion to the user's proportionate contribution of wastewater flows and loadings to the treatment plant, and no user is charged at a rate less than that of normal domestic strength wastewater.
(b) The measurements of the wastes are conducted according to the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater in a manner acceptable to the city as provided for in §§ 50.15 et seq.
(Am. Ord. 212, passed 1-3-1989)
(2) A study of unit costs of collection and treatment processes attributable to flow, B.O.D., T.S.S., and other significant loadings shall be developed for determining the proportionate allocation of costs to flows and loadings for users discharging wastes of greater than normal domestic strength or wastes of unusual character.
(Ord. 209, passed 10-7-1988)