A. 
The Common Council of the City of Rice Lake finds that the management of stormwater and other surface water discharges within and beyond the Red Cedar River, Rice Lake and other bodies of water within the City is a matter that affects the health, safety and welfare of the City, its citizens and businesses and others in the surrounding area. The City is also required to manage stormwater in accordance with its MS4 permit.
B. 
The cost of operating and maintaining the City stormwater management system and financing necessary repairs, replacements, improvements and extensions thereof should, to the extent practicable, be allocated in relationship to the services received from the system. A system for the collection and disposal of stormwater provides services to all properties within the City of Rice Lake and surrounding areas, including those properties not currently served by the system.
A. 
The City hereby exercises its authority to establish a stormwater utility and establish the rates for the subsistence of the stormwater management system.
B. 
The City is acting pursuant to authority granted by Wis. Stats. Chs. 62 and 66, including, but not limited to, §§ 62.04, 62.16(2), 62.18, 66.0621, 66.0809, 66.0811, 66.0813, 66.0821, and 66.0627.
C. 
The supervision of the stormwater utility shall be under the employee or agency of the City of Rice Lake as is designated from time to time by the Common Council.
The City, acting through the stormwater utility, may acquire, construct, lease, own, operate, maintain, extend, expand, replace, clean, dredge, repair, conduct, support, manage and finance such facilities, operations and activities as are deemed by the City to be proper and reasonably necessary for a system of storm and surface water management. These facilities may include, without limitation due to enumeration, surface and underground drainage facilities, sewers, watercourses, retaining walls, ponds, streets, roads, ditches and such other facilities as will support a stormwater management system.
A. 
The rates and charges shall be based on an impervious area charge. Only improved parcels shall be assessed a stormwater utility fee.
B. 
Rate structure and establishment.
(1) 
The impervious area charge and applicable schedule of credits shall be as set forth in the annual budget document of the common council.
(2) 
A schedule of current charges and credits shall be maintained and on file in the office of the City Clerk. Charges shall be imposed to recover those costs of managing the stormwater system designated by the Common Council including an amount budgeted by the Common Council for capital improvement projects related to the stormwater utility.
C. 
The stormwater utility shall be accounted for in a separate fund established by the City. The City's designee shall prepare an annual budget, subject to approval by the Common Council, which is to include all operation and maintenance costs, debt service and other costs related to the operation of the stormwater utility and requirements of applicable permits. Any excess of revenues over expenditures in a year will be retained by the stormwater fund for subsequent years' needs.
D. 
Exemptions from the fee will include impervious areas within publicly owned rights-of-way, streets and sidewalks, driveway aprons, airport runways and taxiways, recreational trails, cemeteries, and publicly owned or privately owned rail beds utilized for railroad transportation. Parcels which are not improved shall also be exempt.
Bills for stormwater utility charges shall be mailed to the owner of the property to which the bill relates in the same manner as the City's solid waste and street lighting bill. In the event that a partial payment is received on the solid waste, street lighting, and stormwater utility bill, the payment shall be applied first to solid waste fees, second to stormwater utility fees, and third to street lighting charges.
A. 
Stormwater utility charges shall not be payable in installments. Stormwater utility charges shall be payable upon receipt. If a charge remains unpaid for a period of 30 days after the date of the utility bill, such charge shall become a lien on the property to which it relates as provided in Wis. Stats. §§ 66.0821 and 66.0809. Delinquent charges shall be automatically extended upon the next available tax roll as a delinquent tax against the property, and all proceedings relating to the collection, including attorney's fees, return and sale of property for delinquent real estate taxes shall apply to such charges. Charges remaining unpaid for a period of 30 days or more from the date of the utility bill shall be assessed a late payment charge of 1.5% per month.
B. 
All delinquent utility charges shall be subject to a penalty of 10% in addition to all other charges, penalties or interest, when the delinquent charge is extended upon the tax roll.
The City's designee shall measure the impervious area of each lot or parcel of land within the City using aerial orthophotography. Impervious area for new construction shall be measured based on site and building plans submitted to the City by the owner per Article II, Chapter 261. Property owners may request adjustments to the measurements of the City to the City's designee.
A. 
Individual property owners may submit to the City's designee site and building surveys or other information which they believe to more accurately determine or reflect the impervious area. Submitting information which the property owner knows to be false shall be a violation of this chapter.
B. 
The City's designee may adjust the measured impervious area after taking into consideration available information. The pendency of a request for an adjustment shall not relieve the property owner of his/her obligation to continue to make payments for current stormwater charges.
A. 
Individual property owners may submit to the City's designee plans and supporting data for on-site stormwater flow mitigation and/or treatment to be considered for abatement credit. These credits shall be based on the three areas of mitigation described in Wis. Adm. Code Ch. NR 151, as amended: flow control, solids removal, and infiltration; plus an education credit to qualifying organizations. No credits will be made for natural features of the land unless applicable Wis. Adm. Code Ch. NR 151 standards are met.
B. 
Any such credits shall be made in accordance with the abatement credit policy established and approved by the Common Council as part of the annual budget.