921.05 LAYING WATER LINES; PAYMENT; ASSESSMENT; CONNECTIONS.
(a) Whenever the City installs water lines without the cost of such lines being paid for, or assessed against, all benefitting abutting property owners benefitting from, the owner of any such abutting property to be served by such lines, and for which property the cost has not been paid or assessed, shall pay his or her pro rata share of such lines before connecting. The charge to connect to such water lines in lieu of an assessment shall be the availability fee as set forth in the Schedule of Fees and Charges.
(b) At the discretion of the Director of Administration, where the land to be charged has extraordinarily large frontage that will likely be subject to further subdivision, a written agreement may be executed between the property owner and the City to provide that the availability fee allocable to the excess frontage may be paid at a later time when such excess land is separately used or developed. The availability fee for such excess land shall be calculated at the frontage foot rate in effect at the time the request to connect is made.
(c) Whenever such lines are laid by the owners or other persons with the Director of Administration's authority, except in cases where the owners of new subdivisions are required to make such installations at their expense by the order of the Planning Commission under and by virtue of the Planning & Zoning Code of the City, such persons shall certify the cost of improvements to the Director immediately upon completion. These amounts shall be subject to the approval of the Director and may be reduced if the Director, after conferring with the Engineer, feels that the costs are excessive.
(d) The owner of any abutting property serviced by such lines, and for which property, the cost has not been paid, shall pay the availability fee as determined by the Director in accordance with this chapter before connecting. The money so received shall be paid to the persons who paid the cost of such line, or to their heirs, executors, administrators, or assigns, but in no event will the aggregate of such payments exceed the cost of the improvements certified to the Director. However, no such payment to such person or persons shall be made more than ten years after completion of the job and certification of the cost to the Director. Any money received for tapping in after ten years shall be a part of the Water Fund of the City.
(e) Water Service Connections.
(1) No person shall connect to water lines without having first applied for and received from the Division of Engineering a written permit authorizing such work. Application for a water service permit shall be made for all domestic water service taps and all fire service taps resulting from well abandonment, service replacement or new service connections, where no existing water service line exists.
(2) Application for a permit shall be signed by the owner, lessee, or agent of the property for which the connection is desired, and must describe the property and state the purpose for the connection. Permit fees shall be designated on the water service permit and shall consist of the following:
A. Administrative and review fee: A fee to cover the cost of utility research and review of the proposed water service connection shall be charged for each permit application. The amount of the fee shall be as set forth in the Schedule of Fees and Charges.
B. Inspection fee: Inspection fees shall be as set forth in the Schedule of Fees and Charges.
(3) All costs and expense incidental to the installation and connection of the water service shall be paid by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the City from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the water service.
(4) A separate and independent water service shall be provided for every metered user and for every fire service line. A single tap or connection may be made on the water main for both domestic and fire service, however, the service lines must be separated, and provisions made for isolation with valves prior to entering private property. Where a property owner seeks to modify existing water service lines and the existing water services do not comply with the provision for separate and independent water services for every metered user as required in this section, the property owner shall establish separate and independent water service lines as described in the City's water system rules and regulations.
(5) The size, alignment, materials of construction of a water or fire service, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench, and connecting to the water main shall all conform to the requirements of the City Engineering Construction Standards, the Building Code of the City, and shall be approved by the City Engineer.
(6) The applicant for the water service permit shall notify the City Engineer when the water service is ready for inspection and connection to the water main. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the City Engineer or his representative.
(7) All excavations for water line installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the City.
(Ord. 2017-24. Passed 9-5-17.)