Chapter 13.42
SEWERS – CHARGES
Sections:
13.42.010 Amounts of fees and charges.
13.42.030 Sewer use permit fee.
13.42.040 Sewer service charges – Declaration of policy.
13.42.050 Sewer service charges – Establishment.
13.42.060 Sewer service charges – Standards for calculation.
13.42.080 Disposition of funds.
13.42.010 Amounts of fees and charges.
The amounts and rate schedules for fees and charges authorized hereunder shall be set by resolution of the city council. (Ord. 841 § 2, 2013: Ord. 840 § 5, 2013: Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988).
13.42.020 Connection fees.
Connection fees are authorized and are charged to recover the following costs:
A. Construction and/or inspection of the physical connection to the public sewer;
B. Prior and estimated future outlays by the city for providing sewage collection and treatment capacity utilized to serve the premises. (Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988).
13.42.030 Sewer use permit fee.
A fee for application for a sewer use permit is authorized to recover costs of administering sewer use permits. Separate fee schedules may be established for the two classes of permits, i.e., nonresidential and industrial. (Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988).
13.42.040 Sewer service charges – Declaration of policy.
The sanitary sewer facilities of the city, including all system parts and components for the collection, transportation, treatment and disposition of domestic and industrial waste products, is a city owned public utility maintained and operated under the control and direction of the city council. The services of the city sanitary sewer system shall be provided to all users in return for payment of service charges, pursuant to this chapter, and the funds obtained by payment and the collection of such charges shall be used exclusively for the uses and purposes of the sewerage system and for payment of interest on and redemption of any bonds the city issued or may issue either by itself or by agreement with another city, district, or agency, as may be directed by the city council. It is the policy of the city that the city sewerage system be operated as a self-supporting utility and that service charges for its use shall be calculated and changed from time to time in sufficient amounts to operate and maintain the city sewer system and to provide for the expansion of the system to meet the needs of all users without resort to the general and other funds of the city. (Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988).
13.42.050 Sewer service charges – Establishment.
The city council shall establish, review annually, and revise periodically sewer service charges so that the total revenue from the collection of such charges is equal to the total cost of operating, maintaining, and expanding the city sewer system. The cost of operating the system shall include the cost of providing reasonable reserves in accordance with standard public utility bookkeeping practices and the cost of providing bond interest and redemption as may be ordered by the city council with regard to any bonds the city has issued or may issue either by itself or by agreement with another city, district, or agency for the sanitary sewer system purposes. All rates and charges shall meet applicable state and federal guidelines. (Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988).
13.42.060 Sewer service charges – Standards for calculation.
The city council shall calculate sewer service charges in accordance with the following rules and regulations:
A. The standard utility accounting period shall be a fiscal year commencing July 1st and ending June 30th;
B. The fixed service charge shall be payable by each user on a periodic basis consistent with the corresponding water service billing to the same premises;
C. Volume Factor. Sewer service charges shall be based upon the estimated actual use of the city sewerage system by the premises or user(s) (herein referred to as the “volume factor”). The volume factor shall be reevaluated using methodology determined by the city prior to the September billing period each year. For residential services that do not yet have a representative volume factor, an average per capita volume shall be used as an estimate of the volume factor, which shall be periodically updated by the city council through resolution;
D. Residential Customers Without Separate Irrigation Meters. Sewer service charges shall be based on the actual water use, but no more than the volume factor;
E. All Other Customers. Sewer service charges for all other services shall be based on the metered water consumption from all sources except those sources that are not discharged to the city sewer, as determined by the city engineer;
F. Additional charges to nonresidential users and industrial users will be assessed for sewage strengths exceeding those of residential users and shall be based on the pounds of BOD suspended solids and any other applicable waste loadings discharged to the city sewer each billing period determined in accordance with Chapter 13.43. In the event that commercial or industrial users have a type of discharge or strength of discharge that is greater or more burdensome on the system than residential sewage discharge, rates will be adjusted accordingly and at the discretion of the city manager. The volume discharge rate for industrial and commercial users shall be applied against the average annual water used or on the actual month-to-month usage;
Special charges may be made to reimburse the city for abnormal costs incurred because of other pollutants in the waste water. All rates including those for seasonal industries shall include in their capital related element the costs of allocated capacity service in the subregional system. (Ord. 920 § 2 (Exh. A), 2023; Ord. 901 § 2, 2021; Ord. 891 § 2(part), 2020: Ord. 841 § 3, 2013; Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988).
13.42.070 Utility accounting.
An accounting system shall be maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. It shall be sufficient in detail to demonstrate that collections and disbursements are made in compliance with the intents and purposes of state and federal regulations. (Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988).
13.42.080 Disposition of funds.
That portion of sewer service charges and connection fees used for the annual acquisition, construction, reconstruction, replacement, and debt retirement of city owned facilities shall be deposited into the waste water capital reserve fund. All other local charges and fees shall be deposited in the sewer revenue fund and accounted for separately. Disbursement of funds shall be for operation and maintenance expense of the entire sewerage system, capital related expense of the collection system and other facilities exclusively serving the city service area, and interest expense on debt issued for sewage system acquisition, construction, reconstruction, or replacement. (Ord. 841 § 4, 2013: Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988).