Publisher's Note: This Section has been AMENDED by new legislation (Ord. 1543, effective 7-1-2024). The text of the amendment will be incorporated below when the ordinance is codified. (A) Generally. Effective as of July 10, 2023, the Department of Municipal Service of the city is directed to increase the billing for sewage disposal charges to $4,593 per 1,000,000 gallons of water consumed. This will provide the city with funds for the following purposes: to pay charges for the city’s share of the operation and maintenance of the sewage disposal system (including debt service and replacement); to pay for meter loss; to pay for maintaining and operating the city sewers, which are a part of the sewage disposal system; to pay for collection costs. The moneys collected, except for collection costs of $50.50 per million gallons of water consumed, which shall be retained by the Municipal Service Commission, shall be placed in an appropriate fund to be used for the above-stated purposes and any balance that may accrue shall be retained therein to provide for emergencies and contingencies.
(B) Charges to become a lien. The charges provided for in division (A) above shall become and be until paid, a lien upon the house or other building having the use of water, and upon the lot or lots or parcel of land upon which such house or other building shall be situated.
(C) Unpaid charges.
(1) Whenever any person, firm or corporation shall fail to pay the rates fixed herein, the water may be shut off and suit may be instituted by the city for the collection of the same in any court of competent jurisdiction, or the same may be reported to the City Assessor to be spread by him or her on the next general city tax rolls, as a special tax or assessment upon the lot or premises on which said unpaid water rates have become a lien.
(2) In case said unpaid sewage disposal charges are so spread by the City Assessor, they shall be collected in the same manner as other city taxes. No attempt to collect any sewage disposal charges by any process herein provided shall invalidate the lien upon the lot or premises.
(Prior Code, § 38.1-18) (Ord. 673, passed 12-15-1980; Ord. 1093, passed 6-28-2000; Ord. 1115, passed 6-4-2001; Ord. 1152, passed 6-17-2002; Ord. 1173, passed 6-16-2003; Ord. 1195, passed 6-28-2004; Ord. 1227, passed 6-20-2005; Ord. 1329, passed 6-28-2010; Ord. 1349, passed 6-27-2011; Ord. 1385, passed 6-24-2013; Ord. 1400, passed 6-23-2014; Ord. 1421, passed 12-21-2015; Ord. 1427, passed 6-27-2016; Ord. 1450, passed 6-19-2017; Ord. 1464, passed 6-25-2018; Ord. 1476, passed 6-17-2019; Ord. 1488, passed 6-29-2020; Ord. 1515, passed 6-21-2021; Ord. 1526, passed 6-27-2022; Ord. 1536, passed 7-10-2023)