[Amended 6-2-2014 by L.L. No. 1-2014]
Pursuant to Article 14-F of the General Municipal
Law of the State of New York, sewer rent shall be collected from owners
of properties which are connected to any portion of the Village sewer
system served by any of the Village’s wastewater facilities,
including the Pumpelly Farm Sewage Treatment Plant.
[Amended 1-28-1991 by L.L. No. 2-1991; 6-2-2014 by L.L. No.
1-2014]
The owners of property within the boundaries of the Village of Owego which are served by the Pumpelly Farm Sewage Treatment Plant/system shall be charged a sewer rent based on an equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) basis. The annual sewer rent to be paid per EDU shall be based upon the total village sewer expense minus outside revenue, the difference of which is then divided by the total number of EDUs served by the Village sewerage system. A Table of Equivalent Dwelling Units ("EDU Table") is
attached to this chapter as Appendix A and may be amended from time to time by resolution of the Board of Trustees, following a public hearing on not less than five days’ notice. Each parcel being served by the Village sewerage system shall be assessed an EDU value based on the appropriate category in the EDU Table.
[Added 1-28-1991 by L.L. No. 2-1991;
amended 6-2-2014 by L.L. No. 1-2014]
The owners of property outside the boundaries
of the Village of Owego which are served by the Pumpelly Farm sewage
treatment plant/system to which water service is metered shall be
charged a sewer rent based on the cubic feet of water supplied to
such property (as evidenced by water meter readings authorized per
intermunicipal agreement) during the period for which the sewer rent
is billed, a minimum per quarter rate, and a capital improvement fee,
as set forth in Appendix B, which may be amended from time to time by resolution of
the Board of Trustees, following a public hearing on not less than
five days' notice.
[Amended 1-28-1991 by L.L. No. 2-1991; 4-21-1997 by L.L. No.
1-1997]
Properties in areas served by sewer extensions
constructed after 1964 when connected to the Village sewer system
shall pay a surcharge in an amount set forth from time to time by
resolution of the Board of Trustees.
[Amended 1-28-1991 by L.L. No. 2-1991]
Bills shall be rendered quarterly and shall
be payable at the Village Clerk-Treasurer's office. Bills shall be
delinquent if not paid within 30 days after the date of billing. If
not paid within 30 days after the date of the billing, a three-percent
penalty shall be added to the base amount of the bill, and, if still
not paid within 90 days of the date of the billing, an additional
ten-percent penalty shall be added to the base amount of the bill.
[Amended 6-2-2014 by L.L.
No. 1-2014]
The sewer rental rates and EDU Table shall be
reviewed annually in January or at any other time the Board of Trustees
deems necessary by the Board of Trustees or by a committee appointed
by the Board to determine, on the basis of the preceding year's experience,
whether such rates or EDUs should be increased or decreased.
[Amended 6-2-2014 by L.L.
No. 1-2014]
A. Property outside village limits. A quarterly bill substantially greater than normal for a given property by reason of an undetected leak may be adjusted by the Village Clerk-Treasurer with the concurrence of the Village of Owego Board of Trustees. The normal rent for a given property may be determined by the amount which would have been charged based on an average usage by the average number of people in residence during the quarterly period for which the bill was rendered or by the previous bill for the corresponding quarter if the number of residents in the property is unchanged. The adjusted bill will be not less than the normal rental, as determined by the sewer committee, plus $10. A bill may not be adjusted for more than one period for any given leak. The property owner may initiate the adjustment process by presenting a signed statement stating the nature of the leak and the date the leak was detected and the date it was fixed or is scheduled to be fixed. The penalty for falsifying a statement shall be as stated in §
166-42 of this Part
1.
B. Property inside village limits.
(1) Any property owner may request a review of the designation of his
property in a particular EDU category by submitting a signed, written
statement to the wastewater treatment plant operator. In order for
property to be considered for adjustment to a new EDU category, the
statement shall include the following:
(a)
The full name, address, and phone number of the property owner(s);
(b)
The parcel's tax map number;
(c)
A description of how the parcel is currently being used (ex.
two-family residential; commercial - restaurant);
(d)
A copy of all building permits issued for the property within
the previous year;
(e)
A copy of one year's water bills for the property in question;
and
(f)
Any and all other information necessary for the Village to consider
the parcel's EDU categorization.
(2) The penalty for falsifying any information included in the re-categorization request shall be as stated in §
166-42. Adjustments to a property's EDU categorization shall be made by the wastewater treatment plant operator with the approval of the Village Board of Trustees. The Village may, at its sole discretion, conduct any investigation of the parcel deemed necessary in connection with an adjustment request. If such an investigation includes inspection of the parcel, the Village shall not conduct the inspection until the owner of the parcel is given five days' prior written notice. If an adjustment is made, it will be reflected in the sewer bill in the next quarter immediately following the grant of the request.
Revenues derived from sewer rents, including
penalties, shall be credited to a special fund to be known as the
"sewer rent fund." Moneys in such fund shall be used in the following
order:
A. For the payment of the costs of operation, maintenance
and repairs of the sewage system or such part or parts thereof for
which sewer rents have been established and imposed.
B. For the payment of the interest on and amortization
of or payment of indebtedness which has been or shall be incurred
for the construction or extension of the sewage system or such part
or parts thereof for which sewer rents have been established and imposed.
C. For the construction of sewage treatment and disposal
works with necessary appurtenances, including pumping stations, or
for the extension, enlargement or replacement of or additions to such
sewage system or part or parts thereof.
No person not authorized by the Village Board
of Trustees to do so shall break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface
or tamper with any portion of the Village sewage system.
[Added 4-21-1997 by L.L. No. 1-1997]
When a customer experiences an extreme increase
in a water bill and receives and adjustment to that bill from the
Owego Waterworks, the customer can request an adjustment to the sewer
billing which is based on the original Owego Waterworks adjustment.
The adjustment shall conform to the following rules:
A. Water consumption must be at least three times normal.
B. The Owego Waterworks must have revised the water bill
per its current policy.
C. The sewer customer must request an adjustment and
provide a copy of the water bill showing the revised consumption amount.
D. The Village sewer billing administrator shall calculate
the revised bill and resubmit the same to the customer.
E. If the bill has been paid in full, the sewer billing
administrator shall calculate the revised bill and issue a credit
for any difference to the customer's next billing.
F. Any adjustment of this nature will be on a one-time-only
basis.