[Ord. No. 6-2014, 15, passed 11-24-2014]
This article shall be considered to set forth the minimum requirements for the protection of the public health, safety, comfort, property or general welfare, pursuant to the authority of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act Number 247, 1968 session, as amended, or such statutes hereinafter in effect, and shall be construed most favorably to the City as encouraging standards of planning and development exceeding these basic and minimum regulations.
[Ord. No. 6-2014, 15, passed 11-24-2014]
(a) 
The City of Lebanon Public Works Department and the City of Lebanon Engineer are authorized to administer the provisions of this article as herein provided and to enforce the provisions of this article on behalf of the City of Lebanon Mayor and Council.
(b) 
Upon presentation of proper credentials, duly authorized representatives of the City of Lebanon may enter at reasonable times upon any property within their jurisdiction to investigate or ascertain the condition of the subject property in regard to any aspect regulated by this article.
(c) 
In addition to other remedies provided herein, the Public Works Department and/or the City Engineer may, on behalf of the City of Lebanon Mayor and Council, institute and maintain appropriate actions by law or in equity to restrain, correct or abate violations, to prevent unlawful construction, to recover damages and to prevent illegal occupancy of a building, structure or premises. The description by metes and bounds in the instrument of transfer or other documents used in the process of selling or transferring shall not exempt the seller or transferor from such penalties or from the remedies herein provided.
(d) 
The City may refuse to issue any permit or grant any approval necessary to further improve or develop any real property which has been developed or which has resulted from a subdivision of real property in violation of this article. This authority to deny such a permit or approval shall apply to any of the following applicants:
(1) 
The owner of record at the time of such violation; and
(2) 
The vendee or lessee of the owner of record at the time of such violation without regard as to whether such vendee or lessee had actual or constructive knowledge of the violation; and
(3) 
The current owner of record who acquired the property subsequent to the time of violation without regard as to whether such current owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the violation; and
(4) 
The vendee or lessee of the current owner of record who acquired the property subsequent to the time of violation without regard as to whether such vendee or lessee had actual or constructive knowledge of the violation. As an additional condition for issuance of a permit or the granting of an approval to any such owner, current owner, vendee or lessee for the development of any such real property, the City may require compliance with the conditions that would have been applicable to the property at the time the applicant acquired an interest in such real property.
[Ord. No. 6-2014, 15, passed 11-24-2014]
(a) 
The provisions of this article are intended as minimum standards for the protection of the public health, safety and welfare of the residents and inhabitants of the City of Lebanon. The Public Works Department and/or the City Engineer may grant a modification of the requirements of one or more provisions of this article if the City concludes that the literal enforcement will exact undue hardship because of peculiar conditions pertaining to the land in question, provided that such modifications will not be contrary to the public interest and that the purpose and intent of this article is observed.
(b) 
All requests for a modification shall be in writing to the Public Works Department and the City Engineer and shall accompany and be part of the application for development. The request shall state in full the grounds and facts of unreasonableness or hardship on which the request is based, the provision or provisions of this article involved and the minimum modification necessary.
(c) 
All such modification requests shall be approved or disapproved by the City of Lebanon Engineer. A written record of the action shall be kept for all modification requests.
[Ord. No. 6-2014, 15, passed 11-24-2014]
A subdivider or developer aggrieved by any action of the Public Works Department, City Engineer, City Planning Commission or Mayor regarding refusal to approve a subdivision or land development plan may, within 30 days of such refusal, appeal to the Common Pleas Court of the County of Lebanon. Any other appeals by aggrieved parties or other landowners shall be subject to the appeal procedures outlined in Article X of Act 247.
[Ord. No. 6-2014, 15, passed 11-24-2014]
(a) 
Any person, partnership or corporation who or which has violated the provisions of this article shall, upon being found liable therefor in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by the Public Works Department on behalf of the City, pay a judgment of not more than $500 plus all court costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by the City of Lebanon as a result thereof.
(b) 
District Justices shall have initial jurisdiction in proceedings brought by the City of Lebanon in accordance with this section. No judgment shall commence or be imposed, levied or be payable until the date of the determination of a violation by the District Justice. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the Public Works Department may enforce the judgment on behalf of the City pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation, unless the District Justice, determining that there has been a violation, further determines that there was a good-faith basis for the person, partnership or corporation violating the article to have believed that there was no violation, in which event there shall be deemed to have been only one such violation until the fifth day following the date of the determination of a violation by the District Justice, and thereafter each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation.
[Ord. No. 6-2014, 15, passed 11-24-2014; Ord. 1-2018, 19, passed 2-26-2018]
(a) 
Title. This section shall be known as the "Stormwater Management Fee Ordinance for the City of Lebanon."
(b) 
Purpose.
(1) 
The existing stormwater management system requires maintenance, repairs, enhancements, and replacement to meet existing and future needs, including flooding concerns and water quality, protection and improvement; and
(2) 
The City holds a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ("DEP"); and
(3) 
The NPDES permit requires the City to meet numerous requirements and regulations to comply with state and federal law; and
(4) 
A professional engineering and financial analysis of stormwater management needs and costs for the City has been performed; and
(5) 
The City finds it necessary to adopt a stormwater management fee to defray the costs of complying with the NPDES program for MS4s.
(c) 
Authority.
(1) 
The City of Lebanon is empowered to regulate stormwater management activities and facilities by the authority of the Stormwater Management Act, 32 P.S. § 680.1 et seq.
(2) 
The City of Lebanon is also empowered to regulate land use activities that affect stormwater runoff and stormwater management systems by the authority of Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
(3) 
City Council is aware that it has been granted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly by and through the Third Class City Code[1] and the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law,[2] and other legislation and through decisions of the courts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the power, the duty and the obligation to regulate and manage stormwater within the City and to recoup costs associated with such regulation and management from the owners of properties impacting the City of Lebanon's stormwater system.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 35101 et seq.
[2]
Editor's Note: See 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 2901 et seq.
(d) 
Findings. The City of Lebanon finds that:
(1) 
Inadequate development and maintenance of stormwater facilities increases stormwater runoff rates and volumes, contributes to erosion and sedimentation, overtaxes the carrying capacity of storm sewers and streams, increases the cost of public facilities to carry and control stormwater, undermines floodplain management and flood control efforts in downstream communities, reduces groundwater recharge, threatens public health and safety, and increases pollution of water resources.
(2) 
A comprehensive program of stormwater management, including the generation of funding to pay for effective stormwater best management practices, is fundamental to the public health, safety, and welfare and the protection of people of the City of Lebanon, their resources, and the environment.
(3) 
Stormwater is an important water resource which provides groundwater recharge for water supplies and base flow of streams, which also protects and maintains surface water quality.
(4) 
Approaches to water management that protect, restore, and mimic natural water cycles have significant environmental, social, and economic benefits and should be encouraged.
(5) 
Federal and state regulations include requirements for municipalities to implement a program of stormwater controls. Regulated municipalities are required to obtain a permit for stormwater discharges from their separate storm sewer systems under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES"). In order to establish, operate, and maintain the stormwater infrastructure of the City of Lebanon, as well as all systems upon which the stormwater infrastructure depends, sufficient and stable funding is required to fund these public services.
(6) 
The City of Lebanon intends to establish fair and equitable stormwater management fees based upon a Stormwater Pollution Control Fee Rate Study to assure that each lot within the City of Lebanon will pay its proportionate share of the costs of operation, maintenance, repair, administration, replacement, and improvement of all stormwater services provided or paid for by the City of Lebanon.
(e) 
Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMP)
Activities, facilities, measures, or procedures used to manage the volume, rate and water quality of stormwater runoff from a developed parcel. For the purposes of this credit policy, BMPs eligible for credits are those structural BMPs listed in the Department of Environmental Protection's "BMP Effectiveness Values" document (publication number 3800-PM-BCW0100m, dated 5/2016), or latest version. Definitions for individual BMPs shall be as stated in the "BMP Description" column of the "BMP Effectiveness Values" document.
CITY COUNCIL
The duly elected governing body of the City of Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.
CREDIT
A stormwater management fee reduction that a property owner receives for implementing and complying with the practices and policies laid out by the City of Lebanon.
DESIGN STANDARDS
Specifications, requirements, construction sequences, and other standards that must be met in order for an implemented BMP to receive credit. Design standards for implemented BMPs shall be in accordance with the latest edition of the Pennsylvania Stormwater BMP Manual.
DEVELOPED PARCEL
A parcel altered from a natural state that contains impervious surface equal to or greater than 300 square feet.
DIRECTOR
The Director of the Department of Public Works of the City of Lebanon or the Director's designee.
EQUIVALENT RESIDENTIAL UNIT ("ERU")
The measure of impervious ground cover for a typical single-family detached residential property used in assessing fees for each parcel of property, and which is determined to be 1,780 square feet.
IMPERVIOUS SURFACE
A surface that prevents or significantly reduces the infiltration of water into the ground. Impervious surfaces (or areas) shall include, but not be limited to: "roofs, driveways, parking lots, additional indoor living spaces, patios, garages, storage sheds and similar structures, and any new streets or sidewalks" in accordance with the City of Lebanon's Stormwater Management Ordinance. Impervious surfaces shall also include areas of gravel and stone cover.
MAYOR
The Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the City and the official head of the Lebanon City government who enforces the ordinances of City Council.
NON-SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (NON-SFR) PARCEL
Any developed parcel not fitting the definition of single-family residential parcel, or not having a land use code of 101, 107, or 108 per data from the Lebanon County Assessment Office. Non-SFR parcels include, but are not limited to, multifamily houses, townhouses, apartments, boardinghouses, hotels and motels, churches, industrial properties, commercial properties, manufactured home or mobile home parks, commercial and office buildings, storage areas, parking lots and other impervious areas, parks, recreation properties, public and private schools and universities, hospitals and convalescent centers, office buildings, government properties, and mixed-use properties.
OWNER
Any person, firm, corporation, individual, partnership, company, association, government agency, society or group owning real property in the City of Lebanon. Also may be referred to as "property owner" or "landowner."
REPLACEMENT
The associated costs of obtaining and installing equipment, accessories or appurtenances which are necessary during the service life of the City of Lebanon stormwater management system so as to maintain the capacity and performance for which said system was designed and constructed, and shall include costs associated with improvements, including addition of best management practices to the stormwater management system.
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (SFR) PARCEL
Developed parcel containing one structure which contains one or more rooms with a bathroom and kitchen facilities designed for occupancy by one family and shall include single-family houses, single-family units, manufactured homes, and mobile homes located on individual lots or parcels of lands. An SFR parcel must have a land use code of 101, 107, or 108 per Lebanon County Assessment Office data.
STORMWATER
Water from a rain or snowfall event that flows across the land and eventually into rivers, creeks, lakes, ditches and canals resulting in debris, sediment, pollutants, bacteria and nutrients from sidewalks, streets, parking lots, and other impervious surfaces washing into gutters, through storm drains, and eventually flowing into creeks and rivers.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT COSTS
The associated public costs of equipment and facilities, energy, manpower, materials, property acquisition, transportation and services required to:
(1) 
Avoid, reduce, manage, treat, collect, convey, detain, infiltrate, pump and transport stormwater;
(2) 
Keep equipment and facilities including best management practices functioning satisfactorily and economically;
(3) 
Administer the stormwater management program, including regulatory compliance; and
(4) 
Improve the City of Lebanon's stormwater management system.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FEE
A fee to be collected from each developed land parcel in the City of Lebanon and used to defray the cost of the City's stormwater management program.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
The system of runoff avoidance, infiltration, collection and conveyance, including storm sewers, pipes, conduits, mains, inlets, culverts, catch basins, gutters, ditches, channels, detention ponds, streets, curbs, drains and all devices/appliances and stormwater best management practices and facilities appurtenant thereto used for collecting, conducting, pumping, conveying, detaining, infiltrating, reducing, managing, avoiding the generation of, and treating stormwater.
(f) 
Imposition, billing and collection of stormwater fees.
(1) 
Each single-family residential (SFR) parcel shall be charged annually for one ERU in the amount of $60.
(2) 
All other developed non-single-family residential (NSFR) parcels shall be charged annually by dividing the total impervious area on a non-SFR parcel by the impervious area per ERU to determine the number of ERUs to assign to a parcel. One ERU is billed at a rate of $60, with one ERU equal to 1,780 square feet of impervious area. Each additional ERU shall be billed at a rate of $12.56.
(3) 
The stormwater fees fixed and established by this section shall be effective as to all properties in the City of Lebanon. Stormwater fees imposed by this section shall be assessed and billed by the City of Lebanon or their agent on an annual basis. Such assessments shall be payable at their face amount during the 30 days next following the date on which said assessment bill was mailed. The annual billing date shall be on or about January 1. For assessments in excess of $1,000, property owners will be afforded the opportunity to make installment payments in accordance with a written policy and procedures established by the Mayor. The user fees assessed and collected will not be subject to proration or refund by the City of Lebanon in the event a property is sold; provided, however, that this sentence shall not bind a buyer and seller from making their own proration of any use fees assessed hereunder.
(4) 
Lebanon City Council may review and update the user fees fixed and established by this section by resolution as deemed necessary.
(g) 
Late payment penalty, interest paid on unpaid stormwater fees. Stormwater fee charges shall be payable within 30 days of annual bill distribution, with a penalty of 10% assessed on the 31st day. On the first day of each subsequent month in which the account remains unpaid, an interest charge of 0.5% per month shall be added to the stormwater fee charge.
(h) 
Stormwater management fees constitute lien on property. In accordance with the Municipal Claims Act, 53 P.S. § 7101 et seq., as amended, all stormwater fees, penalties, interest, collection fees, lien filing and satisfaction fees and other charges imposed for failure to pay promptly shall constitute a lien upon and against the subject property from the date of their imposition and assessment. The City Solicitor and/or designated representative shall file such lien on or before December 31 of the year in which the account remains unpaid. Any collection, legal and filing fees shall be borne by the user.
(i) 
Credits.
(1) 
Credits shall be available as described in the Lebanon City Stormwater Management Fee Credit Manual, attached hereto as Exhibit A,[3] and incorporated herein by reference.
[3]
Editor's Note: Exhibit A is included as an attachment to this article.
(2) 
Property owners seeking to obtain credits must complete and submit to the City of Lebanon Director of Public Works the Credit Application Form attached hereto as Exhibit B[4] and incorporated herein by reference.
[4]
Editor's Note: Exhibit B is included as an attachment to this article.
(3) 
The annual credit cap shall be $75,000 in the aggregate. Credits will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until the credit cap is reached.
(4) 
If a credit application is approved, the property owner will receive credit beginning with the next regular billing cycle.
(5) 
The Mayor and City Council may review the credit cap and Credit Manual established by this section, and may modify the amount of the credit cap or the Credit Manual as deemed necessary.
(j) 
Petition for review and/or adjustment.
(1) 
Within 30 days of the date of any assessment, a property owner may file a petition for review and/or adjustment to the Director in writing if the property owner believes that the property which is the subject of the assessment has had the fee incorrectly calculated.
(2) 
When submitting a petition for review and/or adjustment of the fee as set forth above, the property owner must include a detailed statement of the basis for the appeal and documents supporting the owner's assertion that the fee has been incorrectly calculated, and pay any fees established by City Council for the handling of such review and/or adjustments.
(3) 
When submitting a petition for appeal of a denial of calculation of a credit, the property owner must include a detailed statement of the basis for appeal along with any documents necessary to support the appeal and pay any fees established by City Council for the handling of such appeals.
(4) 
If the Director concludes that the petition for review and/or adjustment should be granted, the City of Lebanon must submit an adjustment to the property owner's bill and refund any overpayment for the current levy year to the property owner or apply a credit on the subsequent bill equal to the adjustment amount.
(5) 
No appeals may be taken to the Appeals Board unless and until a petition for reconsideration/adjustment has been filed with and ruled upon by the Director.
(k) 
City of Lebanon Stormwater Appeal Board.
(1) 
The Mayor, with Council approval, shall appoint a City of Lebanon Stormwater Appeal Board consisting of five members. The five members need not be residents of the City of Lebanon and shall hold no other office in the City of Lebanon.
(2) 
The Appeals Board shall elect from its own membership its officers, who shall serve annual terms as such and may succeed themselves. For the conduct of any hearing and the taking of any action, a quorum shall be not less than a majority of all members of the Appeals Board, but the Appeals Board may appoint the hearing officer from its own membership to conduct any hearing on its behalf, and the parties may waive further action by the Appeals Board as provided hereinafter.
(3) 
The Appeals Board may make, alter and rescind rules in forms for its procedure, consistent with the ordinances of the City of Lebanon and the laws of the commonwealth. The Appeals Board shall keep full public records of its business, which record shall be property of the City of Lebanon, and shall submit a report of its activities to the City Council and Mayor as requested by the same.
(4) 
Any Appeals Board member may be removed for malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance in office or for other just cause by a majority vote of the City Council. The member shall receive at least a fifteen-day notice that a vote will be taken by City Council. Any Appeals Board member may be removed by a majority vote of City Council. A hearing shall be held by City Council in connection with the vote, if the member shall request the same in writing.
(5) 
The Appeals Board shall conduct all of its hearings and make decisions in accordance with the following requirements:
A. 
Written notice shall be given to the applicant or appellant requesting the appeals hearing.
B. 
The hearing shall be held within 90 days from the date of the applicant's request, unless the applicant has agreed in writing to an extension of time.
C. 
The hearing shall be conducted by the Appeals Board, or the Board may appoint any member as a hearing officer. The decision or, where no decision is called for, the finding shall be made by the Board; however, the appellant or the applicant, as the case may be, in addition to the City of Lebanon, may, prior to the decision of the hearing, waive decision or findings by the Board and accept the decision or findings of the hearing officer as final.
D. 
The parties to the hearing shall be the City of Lebanon, any person affected by the application who has made timely appearance of record before the Board and any other person, including civic or community organizations, permitted to appear by the Board. The Board shall have power to require that all persons who wish to be considered parties enter appearances in writing on forms provided by the Board for that purpose.
E. 
The Chairman or Acting Chairman of the Board or the hearing officer presiding shall have power to administer oaths and issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of relevant documents and papers, including witnesses and documents requested by the parties.
F. 
The parties shall have the right to be represented by counsel and shall be afforded the opportunity to respond and present evidence and argument and cross-examine all witnesses on all relevant issues.
G. 
Formal rules of evidence shall not apply, but irrelevant, immaterial or unduly repetitious evidence may be excluded.
H. 
The Board or the hearing officer, as the case may be, shall keep a stenographic record of the proceedings. The appearance fee for a stenographer shall be shared equally by the applicant and the Board. The cost of the original transcript shall be paid by the Board if the transcript is ordered by the Board or hearing officer or shall be paid by the person appealing from the decision of the Board if such appeal is made, and in either event the cost of additional copies shall be paid by the person requesting such copy or copies. In other cases the party requesting the original transcript shall bear the cost thereof.
I. 
The Board or the hearing officer shall not communicate, directly or indirectly, with any party or his representatives in connection with any issue involved except upon notice and opportunity for all parties to participate; shall not take notice of any communication, reports, staff memoranda or other materials, except advice from their solicitor, unless the parties are afforded an opportunity to contest the material so noticed; and shall not inspect the site or its surroundings after the commencement of hearings with any party or his representative unless all parties are given an opportunity to be present.
J. 
The Board or the hearing officer, as the case may be, shall render a written decision or, when no decision is called for, make written findings of fact and conclusions based thereon, together with the reason therefor. Conclusions based on any provisions of this chapter or of any ordinance rule or regulations shall contain a reference to the provision relied on and the reasons why the conclusion is deemed appropriate in the light of the facts found. If the hearing is conducted by a hearing officer and there has been no stipulation that his decision or findings are final, the Board shall make his report and recommendations available to the parties within 45 days, and the parties shall be entitled to make written recommendations thereon to the Board prior to final decision or entry of findings, and the Board's decision shall be entered no later than 30 days after the report of the hearing officer. Where the Board fails to render the decision within the period required by this subsection or fails to hold the required hearing within 90 days from the date of the applicant's request for a hearing, the decision shall be deemed to have been rendered in favor of the applicant unless the applicant has agreed in writing or on the record to an extension of time. When a decision has been rendered in favor of the applicant because of the failure of the Board to meet or render a decision as hereinabove provided, the Board shall give public notice of said decision within 10 days from the last day it could have met to render a decision in the same manner as provided above. If the Board shall fail to provide such notice, the applicant may do so. Nothing in this subsection shall prejudice the right of any party opposing the application to appeal the decision to Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas in accordance with the Local Agency Law[5] of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
[5]
Editor's Note: See 2 Pa.C.S.A. § 551 et seq.
K. 
A copy of the final decision or, where no decision is called for, of the findings shall be delivered to the applicant personally or mailed to him not later than the day following the date of the decision or findings. To all other persons who have filed their name and address with the Board not later than the last day of the hearing, the Board shall provide, by mail or otherwise, brief notice of the decision or findings and a statement of the place at which the full decision or findings may be examined.
L. 
The City of Lebanon Stormwater Appeals Board shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and render final adjudications to:
1. 
Appeals of the Director's denial of a credit; and
2. 
A property owner's appeal/request for a review and an adjustment of the assessment on a claim that the fee has been incorrectly calculated.
(l) 
Fees for petitions for reconsideration and appeals.
(1) 
Upon submitting a petition for review and/or adjustment with the Director, the applicant shall submit a fee in the amount of $25. Upon filing an appeal with the City of Lebanon Stormwater Appeal Board, the applicant shall submit payment in the amount of $350.
(2) 
Lebanon City Council may, from time to time, by resolution, establish fees for the processing and handling of petitions for reconsideration or adjustment and any other matters related to the enforcement of this chapter and including filing fees, court reporter and transcription fees.
(m) 
Policies and procedures authorized.
(1) 
The Mayor may adopt such policies and procedures as he/she deems appropriate to ensure collection of stormwater fees assessed and imposed pursuant to this section. Without limitation, collection procedures may include referral of delinquent accounts to a collection agency, filing of municipal liens and all other measures thereof which the Council may deem appropriate.
(2) 
All costs of such collection procedures, including, but not limited to, fees and filing, perpetuation and satisfaction of liens, collection fees, City administrative costs and engineering fees and costs, attorneys' fees and costs, court costs, litigation expenses, and charges for service of documents shall, upon being incurred by the City of Lebanon, be imposed as a charge for nonpayment and added to the balance due on said owner's account.
(3) 
No lien shall be satisfied, nor shall any collection proceeding be discontinued, until all amounts due on an account, including stormwater fees, interest, collection fees, City administrative costs and engineering fees and costs, attorneys' fees and costs, court costs, litigation expenses, and charges for service of documents are first paid in full to the City of Lebanon.
(4) 
The City of Lebanon may implement such administrative procedures necessary to implement the policies and requirements set forth in this section.
(n) 
Stormwater Management Fund. All stormwater fees and other stormwater-related funds shall be deposited in the Stormwater Management Fund of the City. This fund shall be a separate fund dedicated to the operation, administration, maintenance, repair and improvement of the stormwater management system, and all related capital costs.
(o) 
Floods and liability. Floods from stormwater may occur occasionally that exceed the capacity of the stormwater system maintained and financed with stormwater fees. Nothing in this chapter shall be deemed to imply that properties subject to charges shall always be free from flooding or flood damage, or that all flood control projects to control stormwater can provide complete protection from all flood and storm events. Nothing whatsoever in this section shall deem the City of Lebanon liable for any damages incurred from stormwater or from adverse water quality. Nothing in this section purports to reduce the need or necessity for flood insurance, and the City of Lebanon expressly reserves the right to assert all available immunities and defenses in any action seeking to impose monetary damages upon the City of Lebanon, its officers, employees and agents arising out of any alleged failure or breach of duty with respect to the City of Lebanon's stormwater management system.
(p) 
Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this section is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct, and independent provision. Such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this section, it being the intent of the City of Lebanon that this section shall stand on its own merit.
(q) 
Effective date. This section shall be effective upon adoption by Lebanon City Council.
[Ord. No. 6-2014, 15, passed 11-24-2014]
Amendments to this article may be initiated by the Public Works Department or the Mayor. If the amendments are initiated by the City Council, the proposed amendment or amendments shall be submitted to the Planning Commission, City Engineer and the Mayor for review and comment at least 30 days prior to a public hearing. Before enactment of a proposed amendment or amendments, the City Council shall hold a public hearing thereon pursuant to public notice.