This article shall be known and may be cited
as the "Union Township Electric Streetlighting Assessment."
This article is enacted pursuant to the authority
by the Second Class Township Code, Act of May 1, 1933, P.L. 103, No.
69, § 2003, added November 9, 1995, P.L. 350, No. 60 § 1
(53 P.S. § 67003).
The purpose of this article is to generate monies
to place, replace, operate, maintain and repair streetlights located
along highways, streets, roads and alleys or portions thereof within
the Township of Union, Berks County, Pennsylvania, (hereinafter referred
to as "Union Township") in order to provide for or acquire electric
streetlighting.
An annual assessment shall be levied each year
for the maintenance of electric streetlighting in lighting districts
within Union Township as established from time to time by resolution
by the Board of Supervisors, upon each property benefited within a
designated lighting district. The assessments shall be based on a
uniform, equal annual assessment upon each property within the lighting
district.
The Board of Supervisors hereby creates a lighting
district for all properties/lots within the following geographic areas:
A. Birdsboro Heights Subdivision.
The amount of the assessment imposed hereby
shall be established each year by the resolution of the Board of Supervisors
and shall be uniform for each lot that is benefited within a lighting
district. For purposes of this article, each lot within a lighting
district shall be deemed to be benefited by the streetlighting, whether
or not there is a building erected on the lot. The equal, uniform,
annual assessment shall be determined each year by dividing the Township's
total projected cost of placing, replacing, operating, maintaining
and repairing the lighting by the total number of properties/lots
existing or planned (whichever is greater), within the lighting district.
The Board of Supervisors may establish, by resolution,
regulations for streetlights within designated lighting districts
within Union Township.
All annual assessments for electric streetlights
shall be filed with the Township Tax Collector for collection in the
same manner as other taxes imposed by Union Township. The assessment
shall be billed on the annual real estate tax bill for general Township
purposes.
If any taxpayer fails to pay the assessment
authorized by this article and the assessment remains uncollected,
the assessment shall become a lien on the affected property and shall
be collectible by Union Township in the same manner as other municipal
claims.
The Union Township Tax Collector shall be entitled
to the same commission for this assessment as he or she is entitled
to for the collection of other Township taxes.
All assessments, when collected, shall be paid
over to the Treasurer of Union Township, who shall receive and keep
them in a separate account and pay out the same only for purposes
of lighting. The Township Tax Collector and the Township Treasurer
shall make a report to the Union Township Board of Auditors annually.