[Ord. No. 2009-74 Art. I, 8-10-2009]
It is determined and declared to be necessary and conducive to the protection of the public health, safety, welfare and convenience of the City to collect charges from all users who contribute wastewater to the City's treatment works. The proceeds of such charges so derived will be used for the purpose of operating, maintaining and retiring the debt of such public wastewater treatment works.
[Ord. No. 2009-74 Art. II, 8-10-2009]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this Chapter shall be as follows:
BOD (DENOTING BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five (5) days at twenty degrees Centigrade (20°C), expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l).
NORMAL DOMESTIC WASTEWATER
Wastewater that has a BOD concentration of not more than three and thirty-three tenths (3.33) pounds/one thousand (1,000) gallons.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
All expenditures during the useful life of the treatment works for materials, labor, utilities and other items which are necessary for managing and maintaining the sewage works to achieve the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed.
REPLACEMENT
Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories or appurtenances which are necessary during the useful life of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed. The term "operation and maintenance" includes replacement.
RESIDENTIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Any contributor to the City's treatment works whose lot, parcel of real estate or building is used for domestic dwelling purposes only.
SHALL
Is mandatory; MAY: Is permissive.
SS (DENOTING SUSPENDED SOLIDS)
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension in water, sewage or other liquids and which are removable by laboratory filtering.
TREATMENT WORKS
Any devices and systems for the storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage, domestic sewage or liquid industrial wastes. These include intercepting sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, individual systems, pumping power and other equipment and their appurtenances; extensions, improvement, remodeling additions and alterations thereof; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled supply such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; and any works that will be an integral part of the treatment process or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment (including land for composting sludge, temporary storage of such compost and also used for the storage of treated wastewater in land treatment systems before land application) or any other method or system for preventing, abating, reducing, storing, treating, separating or disposing of municipal waste or industrial waste.
USEFUL LIFE
The estimated period during which the treatment works will be operated.
USER CHARGE
That portion of the total wastewater service charge which is levied in a proportional and adequate manner for the cost of operation, maintenance and replacement of the wastewater treatment works.
WATER METER
A water volume measuring and recording device furnished and/or installed by the City of Chillicothe's water utility or furnished and/or installed by a user and approved by the water utility.
[Ord. No. 2009-74 Art. III, 8-10-2009]
A. 
The user charge system shall generate adequate annual revenues to pay costs of annual operation and maintenance including replacement and costs associated with debt retirement of bonded capital associated with financing the treatment works.
B. 
That portion of the total user charge collected which is designated for operation and maintenance including replacement purposes as established in Section 720.040 shall be deposited in a separate non-lapsing fund known as the Operation and Maintenance and Replacement Fund and will be kept in two (2) primary accounts as follows:
1. 
An account designed for the specific purpose of defraying operation and maintenance cost (excluding replacement) of the treatment works (Operation and Maintenance Account).
2. 
An account designated for the specific purpose of ensuring replacement needs over the useful life of the treatment works (Replacement Account). Deposits in the replacement account shall be made at least annually from the operation, maintenance and replacement revenue in the amount of sixty-six thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($66,750.00) annually.
C. 
Fiscal year-end balances in the operation and maintenance account and the replacement account shall be carried over to the same accounts in the subsequent fiscal year and shall be used for no other purposes than those designated for these accounts. Monies which have been transferred from other sources to meet temporary shortages in the Operation, Maintenance and Replacement Fund shall be returned to their respective accounts upon appropriate adjustment of the user charge rates for operation, maintenance and replacement. The user charge rate(s) shall be adjusted such that the transferred monies will be returned to their respective accounts within the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the monies were borrowed.
[Ord. No. 2009-74 Art. IV, 8-10-2009]
A. 
Each user shall pay for the services provided by the City's utility based on his/her use of the treatment works as determined by water meters acceptable to the City's utility.
B. 
For all contributors, user charges shall be based on water used during the current month. If a commercial or industrial contributor has a consumptive use of water or in some manner uses water which is not returned to the wastewater collective system, the user charge for that contributor may be based on a wastewater meter or separate water meter installed and maintained at the contributor's expense and in a manner acceptable to the City.
C. 
The user charge schedule shall be as follows:
Flow charge
$1.25 per 1,000 gallons
User charge
$18.00 per month
D. 
For those contributors who contribute wastewater, the strength of which is greater than normal domestic sewage, a surcharge in addition to the normal user charge will be collected. The surcharge for operation and maintenance including replacement is:
$.17 per pound of BOD in excess of 3.33 pounds per 1,000 gallons (400 ppm).
$.17 per pound SS in excess of 3.33 pounds per 1,000 gallons (400 ppm).
E. 
Any user which discharges any toxic pollutants which cause an increase in the cost of managing the effluent or the sludge from the City's treatment works or any user which discharges any substance which singly or by interaction with other substances causes unidentifiable increases in the cost of operation, maintenance or replacement of the treatment works shall pay for such increased costs. The charge to each such user shall be as determined by the responsible plant operating personnel and approved by the Board of Public Works.
F. 
The user charge rates established in this Section apply to all users, regardless of their location, of the City's treatment works.
[Ord. No. 2009-74 Art. V, 8-10-2009]
A. 
All users shall be billed monthly. Billings for any particular month shall be made within thirty (30) days after the end of that month. Payments are due when the billings are made. Any payment not received within twenty (20) days after the billing shall be delinquent.
B. 
A late payment penalty of ten percent (10%) (minimum five dollars ($5.00) maximum one hundred dollars ($100.00)) will be added to each bill after twenty (20) days. When any bill is thirty (30) days in default, rendition of water and/or sewer service to such premises shall be discontinued until such bill is paid following due notice and opportunity for hearing.
[Ord. No. 2009-74 Art. VI, 8-10-2009]
A. 
The Board of Public Works will review the user charge system annually and revise user charge rates as necessary to ensure that the system generates adequate revenues to pay the costs of operation and maintenance including replacement and that the system continues to provide for the proportional distribution of operation and maintenance including replacement costs among users and user classes.
B. 
The Board of Public Works will notify each user at least annually, by public notice published in the local newspaper, of the rate being charged for operation and maintenance including replacement of the treatment works.