[Adopted 7-14-1971 by Ord. No. 11-1971; amended 12-18-2002 by Ord. No. 8-2002; 9-13-2018 by Ord. No. 6-2018]
A.Â
The owner or owners of all property in the City of Monessen abutting
upon, adjoining or within a reasonable distance of any street or alley
in which is a public sewer shall make connection with such sewer,
in such manner and under such conditions as hereinafter specified,
for the purpose of discharging into such public sewer all sewage matter
from such property, but no such property owner shall make any excavation
in any public street or alley for the purpose of connection with any
public sewer or shall tap any public sewer as aforesaid without first
having obtained from the City Clerk a permit authorizing the opening
or excavation of such street or alley and the tapping of such public
sewer. The City Treasurer is hereby authorized and required to charge
the owner or owners of the premises or property to be connected with
such public sewer a fee for such tapping permit as set from time to
time by resolution of the City Council; and upon payment of such sum,
the Treasurer shall issue a certificate acknowledging the receipt
of payment, which certificate shall be his, her or their warrant to
the City Clerk, who, upon the presentation of such warrant, shall
issue such permit. All permit fees paid to the Treasurer shall be
for the use of the City.
B.Â
The tapping fee must be paid for each and every dwelling unit, which
is defined as a group of rooms occupied or intended for occupancy,
or separate living quarters, and having either separate cooking equipment
or a separate entrance.
C.Â
Any owner or owners of premises or property located in reference
to a public sewer, as aforesaid, whose premises or property is in
need of drainage or sewer connections and who fails to take out the
permit and pay the fee as hereinabove prescribed and make such sewer
connections shall have three months to do so after the service of
a copy of this article upon such owner or owners or his or their agent
or agents, after which time, if he or they fail to make sewer connections
in the manner and upon the terms as herein set forth, then the City
authorities are hereby empowered to enter upon the premises and to
connect such premises or property with such public sewer and to collect
from such property owner or owners the expenses of making such connection
with the public sewer, together with the permit fee, plus 6% interest
per annum, plus a penalty of 5% of the amount due, including all City
legal fees and costs incurred in connection with such work; and if
any such owner or owners refuse to pay the same, such costs and expenses
and such permit fee shall be collected as other debts due the City
are collectible.
A.Â
All excavations in any of the public streets and alleys for the purpose
of tapping and making connections with any of the public sewers shall
be subject to the provisions of and shall be made in conformity with
the provisions of any other ordinance of the City relating to and
regulating the making of excavations in the public streets and alleys,
and all such excavations and the tapping and making connection with
such sewer shall be under the supervision of the City. All such connections
with the sewer shall be made and the opening properly refilled within
48 hours after the opening of the street or alley was begun. All such
openings shall be safeguarded both by day and by night to prevent
accident or injury to pedestrians or vehicles.
B.Â
Any person or persons, firm or corporation who or which shall violate
or fail to comply with any of the provisions of this section shall,
upon conviction thereof in a summary proceeding before any District
Justice having jurisdiction of such offense, be sentenced to pay a
fine of not more than $1,000 or to undergo imprisonment not exceeding
90 days, or both, or where the violation shall only be a failure to
obtain a street opening permit required under any other ordinance
of the City, shall be liable to the penalty set forth in such ordinance.
