The Common Council of the City of Watertown determines and finds
that its departments, agencies and employees may from time to time
render certain current services to make public improvements upon real
property within the City of Watertown. Such current services confer
on the owner or owners of such real property a benefit which improves
or enhances the value of such real property and are in addition to
the general benefits which the owner or owners of such real property
enjoy in common with the other residents of the City. Since the current
services for public improvements to such real property can reasonably
be expected to benefit the affected property only, it is reasonable
and fair not to fund the cost of such current services from the general
revenues of the City. Therefore, it is intent of this article to levy
a special charge against such real property for the current services
or public improvements so provided in order to defray the actual and
reasonable cost of providing these current services to the real property
so affected. This special charge is adopted pursuant to the authority
granted in § 66.0627, Wis. Stats., and is in addition to
any other method provided by law to collect special charges for current
services.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
CURRENT SERVICES
Those special, governmental services provided by the City,
either directly by its employees and officials or indirectly by contracted
services with third parties, which affect only a single property or
a contiguous area of several properties within the City and which
are in addition to those regular services provided generally throughout
the City. Services contained in this definition include, but are not
necessarily limited to, removal of abandoned vehicles, snow and ice
removal, noxious weed and vegetation elimination, alarm box response
fees, repair of sidewalks, garbage and refuse disposal, recycling,
stormwater management fees, tree care or removal, disposition of dead
animals, repair of water meters, abatement of public nuisances, sewer
and water service laterals, installation or repairs to sidewalks or
curbs and gutters, soil erosion/conservation work, and stormwater
utility charges.
SPECIAL CHARGE
A fee imposed on the owner or owners of real property for
current services or public improvements that have been rendered to
the affected real estate by the City and which is reasonably designed
to meet the overall cost of such current services for which the fee
was imposed. The special charge levied against the real estate in
this article is not adopted under the special assessment procedure
authorized in § 66.0703, Wis. Stats., and is a separate
and independent charge which is adopted under § 66.0627,
Wis. Stats.
The City may levy a special charge against the real property
within the City to recover the cost of current services or public
improvements rendered to such real property by allocating all or a
portion of the cost of the current services to the property so served,
which may consist of a single property or a series of several contiguous
properties actually affected by such current services or public improvements.