The City of Fruitland shall have the power:
A.
To construct and operate a municipal water system, including wells,
lakes, dams and treatment facilities, whether located within or without
the city limits.
B.
To construct and operate a sanitary sewerage system, a sewage treatment
plant and stormwater sewers.
C.
To construct and operate a garbage incinerator plant.
D.
To construct and operate a recycling plant for the processing and
conversion into usable material of any type of municipally collected
waste, whether in solid, liquid or gaseous state.
E.
To construct, maintain, reconstruct, enlarge, alter, repair, improve
or dispose of all parts, installations and structures of the above
systems and plants.
F.
To have surveys, plans, specifications and estimates made for any
of the above plants or systems or parts thereof or the extension thereof.
G.
To do such things as may be necessary for the efficient operation
and maintenance of the above plants and systems.
The construction, operation, maintenance and repair of all plants and systems mentioned or described in § FC14-1 and all other matters pertaining thereto shall be under the direction and supervision of the Department of Public Works.
Any public service corporation, company or individual, before
beginning any construction or placing or changing the location of
any main, conduit, pipe or other structure in the public ways of the
city, shall submit plans to the Director of Public Works and obtain
his written approval. Any public service corporation, company or individual
violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
If any unauthorized main, conduit, pipe or other structure shall be
located in any of the public ways of the city, the Department of Public
Works may order it removed by the owner thereof.
All individuals, firms or corporations having mains, pipes,
conduits or other structures in, on or over any public way which impede
the establishment, construction or operation of any municipal system
or installation shall, upon reasonable notice, remove or adjust the
obstructions to the satisfaction of the Director of Public Works.
If necessary to carry out this section, the city may use its condemnation
powers to remove or relocate the obstructions.
When the city desires to enter on any county-owned or -maintained
public way for the purpose of installing or repairing any equipment
or doing any other things necessary to establish, operate and maintain
any municipal system or installation provided for in this Charter,
the city shall notify the county of its intent and comply with any
reasonable rules and regulations established by the county and must
leave the public way in a condition not inferior to that existing
before. When the city desires to enter on any state highway for the
purpose aforesaid, it must first comply with the pertinent provisions
of Article 89 B of the Annotated Code of Maryland.
The City of Fruitland shall have the power to acquire by gift, purchase, lease or condemnation any land, improvements, rights-of-way, sources of water or other property of any kind or interest therein or franchise connected therewith within Wicomico County, Somerset or Worcester Counties, whether used for public, quasipublic or private purposes, either in fee or as an easement, for the purpose of establishing, operating, extending or maintaining any municipal system, plant or installations provided for in this Charter. Any condemnation proceedings shall be carried on in accordance with the provisions of Article XVI of this Charter, and the activities described in this Article shall be considered as public improvements within the meaning of Article XVI of this Charter.
The City of Fruitland shall provide a connection at reasonable
cost to water and sewer mains for all property abutting on any public
way in which a sanitary sewer or water main is laid, and such reasonable
cost shall include the cost of repaving or resurfacing the public
way. When any water main or sanitary sewer is declared ready for operation
by the Department of Public Works, all abutting property owners, after
reasonable notice, shall connect all fixtures with the water or sewer
main, except those water fixtures connected only to a private well
and used for lawn sprinkling or civil defense shelters exclusively.
The Director of Public Works may require that if existing fixtures
are unsatisfactory, new ones be installed and may require that all
cesspools, sink drains and privies be abandoned and left in such a
way as not to injure public health. All wells found to be polluted
or a menace to health by the Director of Public Works shall be abandoned
and closed. Any violation of this section shall be a misdemeanor.
To facilitate connections with water and sewer mains, the Council
may establish a revolving fund of not more than ten percent (10%)
of the annual water and sewer service charges to finance the installation
of the minimum number of fixtures in residences or dwellings required
by the Plumbing Code of the city. Should any property owner for financial
or other reasons be unable to or fail to connect to the water or sewer
mains upon reasonable notice and provide the minimum number of fixtures
required, the city shall do the work or have it done. The cost of
the work with six-percent interest on the unpaid balance shall be
collected over the period of the four (4) ensuing years and shall
be billed and collected along with the water and sewer service charges.
All such charges shall be a lien against the property collectible
in the same manner as delinquent city taxes.
The City of Fruitland shall have the power to extend its water
and/or sewage systems beyond the city limits.
Within such parts of the city and within such areas beyond the
city limits as have been supplied with water or sewage systems by
the city, no water supply, sewerage or stormwater drainage, or any
part or appurtenances thereof, and no water mains, sewers or drains
or connections therewith shall be constructed by any person or persons,
firm, corporation, institution or community, whether upon private
premises, or otherwise, without the written consent of and under rules
prescribed by the Department of Public Works. Any violation of the
provisions of this section shall be a misdemeanor.
No person shall do anything which will discolor, pollute or
tend to pollute any water used or to be used in the city water supply
system. Any violation of the provisions of this section shall be a
misdemeanor.
For the purpose of financing and paying for the construction,
operation, maintenance and repair of any plant, system or installation,
or other improvements provided for under the provisions of this Article,
the City of Fruitland shall have the power:
A.
To issue bonds in accordance with the provisions of § FC-5-17
of this Charter.
B.
To assess the cost of these projects or any part thereof on the property abutting on the water, sewerage and stormwater sewers in accordance with the special assessment procedure set forth in Article XV hereof.
C.
To charge and collect such service rates, water rents or other charges
as the Council may from time to time determine to be necessary for
water supplied and for the removal of sewage. These charges shall
be billed and collected by the Department of Finance, and if water
bills are uncollected thirty (30) days after billing, the water may
be turned off. All charges shall be a lien on the property, collectible
in the same manner as delinquent city taxes.
