As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
AWWA
American Water Works Association.
CONSUMER
The owner of the property receiving the service.
WATER DEPARTMENT
The duly authorized representative of the Town Board responsible
for the maintenance and operation of the water system.
Water shall not be delivered to any consumer unless a water meter provided
by the Water Department and installed in accordance with Water Department
requirements is in place.
A. All consumers of water within the Lakeville Water District
shall be charged for water by a combination of the two following methods:
(1) Ad valorem. Each owner of real property within the Lakeville
Water District who benefits from the water supply and distribution system
of the Town of Livonia will pay an ad valorem charge for water service to
be charged with and paid annually as part of the town tax assessed to that
real property.
(2) Consumption charge. The consumer responsible for each
water service will be responsible for payment of the charge for a minimum
of 10,000 gallons per service unit for each three-month period regardless
of the actual amount of water used. In addition, the consumer will also be
responsible for payment for all water used in any one quarter which is in
excess of the minimum amount. The additional amount due will be computed based
on the actual quantity of water used in one-thousand-gallon increments as
measured by the consumer's water meter. These charges will be billed and paid
quarterly.
(3) Other charges. The Town Board of the Town of Livonia
may, from time to time, add additional water related charges to a consumer's
quarterly bill resulting from the following:
(a) Unpaid water service application fees.
(b) Charges related to the installation or repair of water
services not the responsibility of the Water Department.
(c) Other charges that the Town Board may determine as applicable
to the consumer's use of the water system.
(4) Water rates. The ad valorem rate and the water consumption
rate will be determined by the Town Board of the Town of Livonia. All charges
will be computed in accordance with the rate schedule in effect at the time
the water is used.
(5) Unpaid water bills. When the water bill for any consumer
remains unpaid for more than 90 days after the mailing of the quarterly water
bill, the water of such consumer may be turned off, if so decided by the Town
Board. All water bills remaining unpaid at the end of a town fiscal year shall
be added to the next town tax and shall become a lien upon the real property
to which water service was furnished.
B. For consumers outside the limits of the Lakeville Water
District, all charges related to water service shall be paid quarterly. The
charge for water will be as follows:
(1) Out-of district user charge. This annual charge will
be computed by using the ad valorem tax rate in effect for the Lakeville Water
District and multiplying it by the current assessed valuation of the real
property where the service is being rendered. The annual charge will be divided
by four to determine the quarterly charge.
(2) Consumption charge. The consumer responsible for each water service will be responsible for payment of the consumption charge as described in Subsection
A(2).
(3) Other charges. The Town Board of the Town of Livonia
may, from time to time, add additional water-related charges to a consumer's
quarterly bill resulting from the following:
(a) Unpaid water service application fees.
(b) Charges related to the installation or repair of water
services not the responsibility of the Department.
(c) Other charges that the Town Board may determine as applicable
to the consumer's use of the water system.
(4) Water rates. The ad valorem rate and the water consumption
rate will be determined by the Town Board of the Town of Livonia. All charges
will be computed in accordance with the rate schedule in effect at the time
the water is used.
(5) Unpaid water bills. When the water bill for any nonresident
consumer remains unpaid for more than 90 days after mailing of the quarterly
water bill, the water of such consumer may be turned off, if so decided by
the Town Board, and the Town Board shall direct the Town Attorney to take
whatever steps are necessary to collect the unpaid balance.
All meters shall be furnished and kept in necessary repair by the Water
Department. In new installations, the water meter shall be installed by the
consumer. In the case of replacement meters in existing installations, the
Water Department may, at its discretion, chose to install the replacement
meter or require the consumer to complete the installation. The installation
and all valves, fittings and appurtenances are the responsibility of the consumer.
The Town Board of the Town of Livonia will, from time to time, put into
place rules and regulations which it deems necessary for the efficient operation
of the water supply system. It may also adopt design criteria, construction
specifications, standard construction details and standard materials and appurtenances
as it deems necessary. In addition, the Town Board authorizes the Town of
Livonia Water Department to determine the policies and procedures necessary
to comply with all federal, state and local requirements applicable to the
construction, operation and maintenance of the Town of Livonia water system.