[Ord. No. 2014-6, Sec. 1; amended 5-17-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-06; 1-15-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-4; 12-21-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-31; 11-15-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-39; 8-1-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-22]
Effective immediately, the following necessary,
fair and reasonable rate schedule shall be and is hereby adopted:
|
City Rate
(per thousand gallons)
| |
|---|---|
|
Base rate
|
$43.22 (includes zero gallons)
|
|
0 to 5,000 gallons
|
$10
|
|
5,001 to 10,000 gallons
|
$11
|
|
10,001 to 15,000 gallons
|
$12
|
|
15,001 to 20,000 gallons
|
$13
|
|
20,001 to 25,000 gallons
|
$14
|
|
Over 25,000 gallons
|
$15
|
The base rate is assessed to all open accounts, regardless of
usage.
|
Country Water Rate
(per thousand gallons)
| |
|---|---|
|
Base rate
|
$53.34 (includes zero gallons)
|
|
0 to 5,000 gallons
|
$10
|
|
5,001 to 10,000 gallons
|
$11
|
|
10,001 to 15,000 gallons
|
$12
|
|
15,001 to 20,000 gallons
|
$13
|
|
20,001 to 25,000 gallons
|
$14
|
|
Over 25,000 gallons
|
$15
|
The base rate is assessed to all open accounts, regardless of
usage.
|
Rural West and SE Loop Rate
(per thousand gallons)
| |
|---|---|
|
Base rate
|
$66.97(includes zero gallons)
|
|
0 to 5,000 gallons
|
$10
|
|
5,001 to 10,000 gallons
|
$11
|
|
10,001 to 15,000 gallons
|
$12
|
|
15,001 to 20,000 gallons
|
$13
|
|
20,001 to 25,000 gallons
|
$14
|
|
Over 25,000 gallons
|
$15
|
The base rate is assessed to all open accounts, regardless of
usage.
|
Large User/Agricultural
| |
|---|---|
|
(per thousand gallons)
(average monthly use of 100,000 gallons
or more)
| |
|
Base rate
|
$61.97 (includes zero gallons)
|
|
0 to 200,000 gallons
|
$7
|
|
Over 200,000 gallons
|
$7.25
|
The base rate is assessed to all open accounts, regardless of
usage.
|
Meter deposit required From and after the effective
date hereof, every new connection to the water system shall require
payment of a $150 minimum security deposit.
[Ord. No. 2007-12, Sec. 1] |
|
Reconnection fees From and after the effective
date hereof, the Water and Sewer Department shall assess a reconnection
fee when water service has been terminated due to non-payment or for
other reasons. The reconnection fee during the regular work week shall
be $75, and the reconnection fee outside the regular work week shall
be $150.
[Ord. No. 2007-12, Sec. 3] | |
|
Convenience fee All persons paying their water
and/or sewer bills through the internet or by credit card shall be
assessed a convenience fee of 4% of the amount of the bill in addition
to all other charges, fees and taxes to cover the costs of the payment
processing center. All persons paying their water and/or sewer bills
through automatic bank draft shall be assessed a convenience fee of
$0.25 per month, in addition to all other charges, fees and taxes,
to cover the costs of automated bank draft processing, this ordinance
shall become effective October 1, 2012.
[Ord. No. 2012-7, Sec. 2] | |
|
BWRPWA fee. Every water customer shall also
be charged a fee of $1.50 per month, to be separately shown on the
customer's water bill, to be paid to the Benton/Washington Regional
Public Water Authority.
[Ord. No. 2010-6, Sec. 2; amended 1-15-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-4] | |
|
Disconnection for failure to pay bill. The City shall mail a
disconnect notice, on the first business day following the due date,
to any customer who has failed to pay their utility bill by the due
date. The disconnect notice shall specify a specific date, a minimum
of five days following the due date, in which to pay the bill or the
customer's water service will be disconnected. Once disconnected,
customers must pay the entire amount due, plus a late fee of 10% of
the total bill, as well as a reconnection fee in order to restore
their service.
[Added 2-23-2017 by Ord.
No. 2017-2] |
Deemed to apply to water service delivered to consumers at
a metered location within the corporate limits of the City.
Deemed to apply to buildings which provide dwelling or business
space for more than one family and a mobile home park shall be considered
a multi-family dwelling unit.
Deemed to apply to any individual corporation or other legal
entity.
[Ord. No. 1988-5, Sec. 2]
Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except
for holidays.
[Ord. No. 2007-12, Sec. 4]
Deemed to apply to water service delivered to consumers at
a metered location outside the corporate limits of the City.
[Ord. No. 1988-5, Sec. 3]
From and after the date of passage hereof, it
shall be unlawful for any person to operate a private water system
inside the corporate limits of the City.
[Ord. No. 1988-5, Sec. 4]
From and after the date of passage hereof, water
service may be metered through a single meter to multiple consumers
of a multifamily dwelling unit as defined herein, if:
[Ord. No. 97-9, Sec. 1; amended 12-19-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-13]
The fee for consumers who connect or reconnect
to the sewer system shall hereafter be $500.
[Ord. No. 1988-5, Sec. 6]
Rules and regulations of the Arkansas Health
Department, as they may from time to time be published, are hereby
adopted and incorporated herein by reference and the Recorder/Treasurer
is directed to maintain three copies thereof in the City office at
all times hereafter.
[Ord. No. 1988-5, Sec. 7]
The Mayor and Sewer Superintendent is hereby
authorized to promulgate written rules and regulations which shall
constitute a policy for application in the extension of water and
sewer service both within and without the City when it has been approved
by resolution of the City Council.
[Ord. No. 1988-5, Sec. 8]
Any person found to be in violation of any provision of Lincoln Municipal Code Chapter 10.08 shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined such amount as is allowed by law.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 7]
A.Â
That the City hereby establishes as rates, which the
City Council finds and declares to be fair, reasonable and necessary,
to be charged to all users who contribute wastewater to the system,
the rates set forth below. The proceeds of such charges will be used
for the purposes, among others, of operating and maintaining the system,
including replacement ("OM&R") and paying and securing payment
of debt service on the bonds and any other bonds secured by system
revenues ("debt services"). (Replacement is defined as expenditures
for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories or appurtenances
during the useful life of the system necessary to maintain the capacity
and performance for which they were designed and constructed.)
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 1]
B.Â
All users of the system shall be charged monthly for
each 1,000 gallons or portion thereof of metered water consumption
for OM&R as follows: $2.44 for service from January 1, 1996 to
and including December 31, 1997; and $2.53 for service on and after
January 1, 1998.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 1]
|
User Charge Methodology
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Total annual OM&R cost in $/1,000 gal. =
|
Total annual OM&R $
No. of 1,000 gal. sold annually
| |
C.Â
Excessive strength charges. For any user, for which
biochemical oxygen demand ("BOD") exceeds *250 mg/1, the suspended
solids ("SS") exceed 250 mg/1, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen exceeds 50
mg/1, oil and grease exceeds 100 mg/1, or other pollutant concentrations
exceed the range of concentrations of these pollutants in normal domestic
sewage, a surcharge shall be added to the basic charge. This surcharge
shall be calculated by the following formula:
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 1]
|
C5 = (BC(B) + SC(S) + PC(P))
VU
|
|
Symbols and Definitions:
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
C5
|
=
|
A surcharge for wastewaters of excessive strength.
| |
|
BC
|
=
|
OM&R cost for treatment of a unit of BOD.
| |
|
B
|
=
|
Concentration of BOD from a user above a base
level.
| |
|
SC
|
=
|
OM&R cost for treatment of a unit of SS.
| |
|
S
|
=
|
Concentration of SS from a user above a base
level.
| |
|
PC
|
=
|
OM&R cost for treatment of a unit of any
pollutant.
| |
|
P
|
=
|
Concentration of any pollutant from a user above
a base level.
| |
|
VU
|
=
|
Volume contribution from a user per unit of
time. *Maximum limit for average domestic waste.
| |
D.Â
Charges for extraneous flows. The costs of OM&R
for all flows not directly attributable to users (such as infiltration/inflow)
shall be distributed among users on the same basis as OM&R charges.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 1]
E.Â
Toxic pollutants charges. Each user that discharges
any toxic pollutants which cause an increase in the cost of managing
the effluent or the sludge of the system's treatment works shall pay
for such increased costs.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 1]
F.Â
Debt service. For sewer service from January 1, 1996,
to and including December 31, 1997, all active users of the system
shall be charged a flat monthly fee of $3.50 plus a charge equal to
$0.32 per 1,000 gallons or portion thereof of metered water consumption.
For sewer service on and after January 1, 1998, all active users of
the system shall be charged a flat monthly fee of $3.82 plus a charge
equal to $0.48 per 1,000 gallons or portion thereof of metered water
consumption. These charges represent the debt retirement for the City's
indebtedness payable from system revenues ("debt service").
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 1]
G.Â
Total minimum user charge.
[Ord. No. 2015-2, Sec. 3]
|
Minimum rate-up to 1,000 gallons
|
$22.08
|
|---|---|
|
Over 1,000 gallons
|
$4.50 per 1000/gallons
|
H.Â
In the case of customers obtaining water exclusively
from the waterworks system serving the City, the computation records
of the waterworks system shall apply.
In the case of customers obtaining water on
a metered basis from sources other than the waterworks system serving
the City, there shall be determined the amount of water obtained by
such customers from other sources and the amount so determined shall
be used (together with the amount reflected by the waterworks system
records if such customer also obtains water from the waterworks system
of the City) in making sure computation.
In the case of customers obtaining water not
on a metered basis the City shall establish water consumption based
on a comparison of the non-metered user with a metered user of similar
class. Example: a non-metered family of four will be compared to a
typical family of four with a water meter to establish water consumption.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 1]
I.Â
All sewer users shall be classified by the City as
residential, commercial or industrial.
1.Â
A "residential user" is defined as a user whose wastewater
is from residential property.
2.Â
A "commercial user" is defined as a user whose liquid
wastewater results from commercial operations, trade, or business.
3.Â
An "industrial user" is defined as a user whose liquid
wastewater results from industrial operations, manufacturing, or processing.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 1]
J.Â
That users of the system will be billed on a monthly
basis with payment due 30 days after the date of billing. Users on
metered water service will be billed on the same notice as water charges
and will be designated as a separate entry. Users not on metered water
service will be billed monthly on an individual notice for service
based upon the water consumption established by the City.
Users with delinquent accounts of 30 days will
be notified in writing by the City where, during which hours of the
day, and before whom disputed bills appropriately may be considered.
If the user waives the opportunity to be heard and the bill is not
paid within 30 days after the date of billing, the water service will
be disconnected until such bill is paid.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 2]
K.Â
That a financial management system shall be established
and maintained by the City to document compliance with federal regulations
pertaining to the bonds. Such system will account for all revenues
generated and expenditures for OM&R.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 3]
L.Â
That the City Council will review the user charges
at least annually and review the rates as necessary to ensure that
adequate revenues are generated to pay the costs of OM&R and debt
service and that the system continues to provide for the proportional
distribution of OM&R costs among users and user classes.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 4]
M.Â
That each user shall be notified at least annually,
in conjunction with the regular bill, of the sewer use rate and the
portion of the user charges which are attributable to wastewater treatment.
Costs shall be broken down to show the OM&R costs attributable
to that user.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 5]
N.Â
1.Â
That any user who feels his user charge is unjust
and inequitable may make written application to the Executive Director
of the system requesting a review of his user charge. Written request
shall, where necessary, show the actual or estimated average flow
and strength of his wastewater in comparison with the values upon
which the charge is based, including how the measurements or estimates
were made.
2.Â
Review of the request shall be made by the Executive
Director and, if substantiated, the user charges for that user shall
be recomputed based on the revised flow or strength data and the new
charges shall be applicable to the next billing period.
[Ord. No. 95-20, Sec. 6]
O.Â
That the user charge system for the system shall take
precedence over any terms or conditions of agreements or contracts
between the City and any of the users which are inconsistent with
applicable federal regulations regarding such user charge systems.
[Ord. No. 1993-4, Sec. 1; amended by Ord. No. 97-9, Sec. 2; 12-19-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-13]
The following schedule is found to be fair and
reasonable and is hereby fixed as the fee for making a water connection:
[Ord. No. 04-6, Sec. 1-3; amended 12-19-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-13]
Water customer security deposits will be refunded when the account
is closed and paid in full.
[Added 12-21-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-30]
Fee established. From and after the effective date of this section,
the City shall charge a fee of $100 per requested water flow test.
Payment of the fee shall occur not later than two working days before
the requested test is to begin.
