CHAPTER 2
SEWERS
ARTICLE 8. SEWER SERVICE CHARGES
SECTION:
§3707.2 Septage And Chemical Toilet Wastes
§3707.3 Billing And Collection
§3707.4 Collection With Other Utility Charges
§3707.5 Collecting Delinquent Sewer Charges
§3707.7 Industrial User (Repealed)
§3707.8 Industrial Waste Discharge Monthly Service Charge
§3707.9 Industrial Waste Charges
§3707.1 RATES
Rates for all premises connected to public sewers within or under the jurisdiction and control of the City shall be set forth in resolutions adopted from time to time by the Ukiah City Council. Such resolutions may prescribe user classifications, including the monthly sewer charge and consumption rate assigned to each class of user. These rates, although stated on a monthly basis, may be billed monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly as determined from time to time by the City Council.
The customer who applied for and assumed the obligation to pay for water service to the property is the person liable for sewer charges to the property served by that water service. In the case of multiple units served by a master water meter, one person or entity, such as the property owner, shall pay for and assume liability for sewer service to that property. Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, the customer may bill its tenants for their proportional share of the City’s charges for that service in accordance with Chapter 6, Article 2 of this division, commencing with section 3960 of this code. This requirement shall not prevent tenants in a multi-unit residential property from exercising their rights under Public Utilities Code section 10009.1, including their option to become utility customers in accordance with the requirements of that section, to whom the service will then be billed, without being required to pay the amount due on the delinquent account.
Each premises or user connected to the public sewage system shall be classified under one of the user categories set forth by resolution and shall be subject to the rates specified for such category. Premises or users which are susceptible to classification under two (2) or more of such user categories shall be specially classified by City and shall be subject to rates established by City which shall allow for a reasonable usage allocation. (Ord. 845, §4, adopted 1985; Ord. 1073, §1, adopted 2005; Ord. 1117, §1, adopted 2009; Ord. 1203, §1, adopted 2020)
§3707.2 SEPTAGE AND CHEMICAL TOILET WASTES
Charge for discharge septage or chemical toilet wastes to treatment plant receiving facility shall be in accordance with article 16 of this chapter and implementing resolution. (Ord. 845, §4, adopted 1985; Ord. 1203, §1, adopted 2020. Formerly 3707.6)
§3707.3 BILLING AND COLLECTION
A. Billing: The regular billing period will be for each calendar month, or bimonthly, or as determined by the Council.
B. Opening And Closing Bills: Opening and closing bills for less than the normal billing period shall be for not less than one month.
C. Billing Time: Bills for sewer service shall be rendered at the beginning of each billing period and are payable upon presentation.
D. Penalties: If the bill is not paid within fifteen (15) days from the due date, a basic penalty of ten percent (10%) will be added thereto and on the first day of each calendar month thereafter a penalty of one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the amount of the delinquent bill shall also be added and become due.
E. Collection By Suit: As an alternative to any of the other procedures herein provided, the City may bring an action against a person or persons who occupied the premises when the service was rendered for the collection of the amount of the delinquent rate and all penalties and costs of collection including a reasonable attorney fee. (Ord. 845, §4, adopted 1985; Ord. 1203, §1, adopted 2020. Formerly 3707.10)
§3707.4 COLLECTION WITH OTHER UTILITY CHARGES
A. With Utility Charges: Where the person charged is a user of another utility owned and operated by the City, including, but not limited to, the electric utility and water utility, or of another utility service furnished by a publicly or privately owned public utility which has agreed to collect on behalf of the City, the charges may be collected together with and not separately from the charges for the other utility service rendered by it. They may be billed upon the same bill and collected as one item.
B. Discontinuance Of Service Upon Delinquency: Upon delinquency, the other utility or utility services included on the bill shall be discontinued until full payment of the delinquent charges and penalties thereon and the charges for restoration of service.
C. Time: Said discontinuance shall continue until such time as all delinquent charges are paid in full; resumption of service to occur as otherwise provided by ordinances and regulations of the City.
D. Advance Payment Without Discount: Any payment made in advance of due date or delinquency date shall be without discount.
E. Unpaid Charges A Lien Where Premises Not Connected To City Water And/Or Electric Utility: Where premises are not connected to the City water or electric system, it is hereby declared that when a statement of delinquent charges and all penalties and other charges which have accrued thereon has been recorded, the same shall constitute a lien upon the real property receiving or to receive the services, excepting publicly owned property.
F. Duration Of Lien: Such lien shall continue until the charges and all penalties thereon have been fully paid or the property subject thereto has been sold to satisfy the lien.
G. Continuance Of Penalties: Penalties shall continue to accrue during the period of nonpayment.
H. Contents Of Statement: The statement shall contain a description of the property served or to be served, the period of the service or proposed service, the amount of the charges, and a reference to this chapter by number and date of adoption.
I. Execution, Acknowledgement And Filing: The statement shall be executed by the person having charge of the billing and collection of such charges or his deputy. His signature shall be acknowledged. It shall be filed with the County Recorder of the County in which the City is located, at least once each year.
J. Effect And Enforcement Of Lien: Such lien shall have the force, effect, priority and duration of an abstract of a judgment against the owner of real property and may be enforced in like manner.
K. Frequency Of Declaration: A list of all such delinquent charges as to property not connected to the City water or electric system shall be recorded at least every six (6) months.
L. Law Applicable: The provisions of the Revenue Bond Law of 1941 as to the filing and enforcement of liens shall apply. (Ord. 471, §§VIII-D, IX-A, IX-A(1-7), adopted 1955; Ord. 522, §7, adopted 1957; Ord. 845, §§2, 4, adopted 1985; Ord. 849, §1, adopted 1985; Ord. 1203, §1, adopted 2020. Formerly 3707.11)
§3707.5 COLLECTING DELINQUENT SEWER CHARGES
A. Advance Payment Without Discount: Any payment made in advance of due date or delinquency date shall be without discount.
B. Unpaid Charges A Lien Where Premises Not Connected To City Water, Electric, Or Gas Service: Where premises are not connected to the City water, electric or gas system, it is hereby declared that when a statement of delinquent charges and all penalties and other charges which have accrued thereon has been recorded, the same shall constitute a lien upon the real property receiving or to receive the services, excepting publicly owned property.
C. Duration Of Lien: Such line shall continue until the charges and all penalties thereon have been fully paid or the property subject thereto has been sold to satisfy the lien.
D. Continuance Of Penalties: Penalties shall continue to accrue during the period of nonpayment.
E. Contents Of Statement: The statement shall contain a description of the property served or to be served, the period of the service or proposed service, the amount of the charges, and a reference to this Chapter by number and date of adoption.
F. Execution, Acknowledgment, And Filing: The statement shall be executed by the person having charge of the billing and collection of such charges or his deputy. His signature shall be acknowledged. It shall be filed with the County Recorder of the County in which the City is located, at least once each year.
G. Effect And Enforcement Of Lien: Such lien shall have the force, effect, priority, and duration of an abstract of a judgment against the owner of real property and may be enforced in like manner.
H. Frequency Of Declaration: A list of all such delinquent charges as to property not connected to the City water, electric, or gas system, shall be recorded at least every six (6) months.
I. Law Applicable: The provisions of the Revenue Bond Law of 1941 as to the filing and enforcement of liens shall apply. (Ord. 845, §4, adopted 1985; Ord. 1203, §1, adopted 2020. Formerly 3707.12)
§3707.7 INDUSTRIAL USER
(Repealed) (Ord. 845, §4, adopted 1985; rep. by Ord. 1203, §1, adopted 2020)
§3707.8 INDUSTRIAL WASTE DISCHARGE MONTHLY SERVICE CHARGE
Industrial connections shall be charged such fees as the city engineer deems reasonable to pay for additional costs, including compliance with requirements for biochemical oxygen demand removal, other treatment, gallonage of flow, and any other sewage characteristics as the city engineer deems appropriate and as delineated hereinafter. (Ord. 845, §4, adopted 1985)
§3707.9 INDUSTRIAL WASTE CHARGES
The industrial waste charges for each industry shall be determined by the following formula:
Annual operating charges: Total charge per period = (A x V) + (B x BOD) + (C x SS).
A, B, C – unit charge rates established annually by the city calculated on the previous period’s costs of maintenance, operation, administration and depreciation based on the parameter allocations in accordance with appendix E of the revenue guidelines for wastewater dated April 1983, including any amendments or revisions.
V = Volume of water in million gallons per period.
BOD = Biochemical oxygen demand in pounds per period.
SS = Total suspended solids in pounds per period.
A = Allocated cost for each million gallons of flow.
B = Allocated cost per pound of biochemical oxygen demand.
C = Allocated cost per pound of total suspended solids.
Parameters V, BOD, and SS are measured at the entry point to the public sewer system. The City Engineer shall set minimum requirements for sampling, analysis and flow measurement for the discharge necessary to establish quantities to be used in the above formula.
For industries where significant water used in the process leaves the site as a component of the product, the equivalent sewer service units for the domestic portion of the manufacturing facility will be determined as follows:
|
A x B x C |
= |
Y |
|
200 gallons |
|
|
where:
A = Number of employees
B = Hours per shift
C = Shifts per week
Y = Equivalent sewer service units (ESSUs) (Fractions to be rounded to the nearest whole number with a minimum of 1)
200 gallons = Equivalent of the average daily usage of a residential customer based upon five (5) employees over a forty (40) hour work week.
(Ord. 845, §4, adopted 1985; Ord. 1013, §1, adopted 1998)