It is the intention of the Town Board of the Town of Tusten
by the adoption of this chapter to establish and impose sewer charges
for any sewer district in the Town and/or authority charged with the
duty of operation and maintenance of said sewer districts and/or any
additional sewer disposal districts or systems formed pursuant to
the provisions of Town Law and the General Municipal Law and any other
applicable law.
As used or referred to in this chapter, unless a different meaning
clearly appears from the context, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
ACTUAL USE CHARGES
Charges paid by users for their proportionate share of operation
and maintenance (including replacement) costs of treatment works within
any sewer district, based on the user's proportionate contribution
to the total wastewater loading from all users within any sewer district.
BENEFIT AREAS
Vacant parcels within any district for which, when improved
for residential or nonresidential purposes, and connected to public
sewers, the owners of which will become users.
RATE
A unit charge, established by the Town Board annually, and
based upon the amount of funds required to pay expenditures for operation
and maintenance (including replacement), funds required for repayment
of capital debt service and the number of units of use in any sewer
district.
REPLACEMENT ALLOWANCES
Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories
or appurtenances which are necessary during the planning period of
the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which
such works are designed and constructed.
SEWER CHARGES
A scale of annual charges established and imposed by the
Town of Tusten for the use of the public sewers and the availability
for use of the public sewers by benefit area vacant parcel owners.
UNITS OF USE
The quantity of usage of the sewer system assigned to different
classifications of real property in any district.
USER
Any owner of real property within any district who is depositing
or is required to deposit sewage, either directly or indirectly, into
the public sewers.
USER CHARGE SYSTEM
A system of charges which shall be levied against users in
any sewer district in the Town, based on the units of use multiplied
by a rate, such that the Town may recover the cost for operation and
maintenance (including replacement) for any sewer district.
USER'S CONTRIBUTION
Shall be based on estimated volume of flow, only, as outlined in the schedule of units. Any types of users not listed in the schedule of units shall be subject to review by the Town Board as to the unit value of their contribution (units of use). If applicable, they shall be further subject to the requirements of Chapter
229, Sewer Use, Article
VII, §§
229-36 and
229-37, of the Town Code.
VACANT PARCEL OWNER
Any owner of vacant property within any sewer district in
the Town, who, by virtue of the parcel's proximity to public
sewers, has the right to connect to the public sewers when the parcel
is improved and the owner becomes a user, as defined above.
The basis of the charges for the sewer charges to be paid by
the users and vacant parcel owners in any sewer district in the Town
shall be determined from the following schedule of units:
|
Number of Units of Use
|
---|
|
O & M
|
Debt Service
|
---|
Single-family dwelling
|
10
|
10
|
Two-family dwelling
|
20
|
20
|
Commercial establishment (retail shops, offices)
|
10
|
10
|
Commercial/industrial establishments with 5 or less employees
|
15
|
15
|
Commercial/industrial establishments with more than 5 employees
|
30 plus 15 for each increment of 5 employees over 10
|
30 plus 15 for each increment of 5 employees over 10
|
Apartment units
|
10
|
10
|
School (10 units for every 20 occupancy - 465 occupancy)
|
230
|
230
|
Vacant building lot
|
0
|
1.5
|
Benefit area (per acre)
|
0
|
1.5
|
Campground
|
180
|
180
|
Hillside resort
|
400
|
400
|
Meeting hall (10 units for every 20 occupancy)
|
10
|
10
|
Churches
|
15
|
15
|
Laundromat
|
40
|
40
|
Institution/Boardinghouse (per room)
|
4
|
4
|
CLASS B
|
---|
SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRIAL USERS
N/A AT THIS TIME
|
The Town shall review not less often than every two years the
wastewater contribution of users and user classes, the total costs
of operation and maintenance of the treatment works, and its approved
user charge system. The Town shall revise the charges for users or
user classes to accomplish the following:
A. Maintain the proportionate distribution of operation and maintenance
costs among users and user classes as required herein;
B. Generate sufficient revenue to pay the total operation and maintenance
costs necessary to the proper operation and maintenance (including
replacement) of the treatment works; and
C. Apply excess revenues collected from a class of users to the costs
of operation and maintenance attributable to that class for the next
user and adjust the rate accordingly.
User contributions for controlled discharges shall be subject to the regulations in Chapter
229, Sewer Use, Article
VII, §§
229-36 and
229-37, of the Town Code, including, but not limited to, charges to cover the increased costs of handling and treating such discharges.
The cost of all flows not directly attributable to users shall
be distributed among all users and any sewer district in the same
manner that the costs of operation and maintenance are distributed
among all users in any sewer district for their actual use. Any increased
costs associated with the management of effluent and/or sludge and
any treatment works caused by the discharge of toxic pollutants shall
be paid for by those users discharging the toxic pollutants.
Each user and vacant parcel owner shall be notified annually,
in conjunction with a regular bill, of the rate and that portion of
the user charges which are attributable to wastewater treatment services.
Such notification shall be broken down to show separate charges and
rates for operation and maintenance and debt service repayment.
The Town may have preexisting agreements which address: 1) the
reservation of capacity in the Town's treatment works, or 2)
the charges to be collected by the Town in providing wastewater treatment
services or reserving capacity. This user charge system shall take
precedence over any terms or conditions of agreements or contracts
between the Town and users (including industrial users, special districts,
other municipalities, or federal agencies or installations) which
are inconsistent with the requirements of federal regulations.
There is hereby established and imposed an annual sewer charge on all users and vacant parcel owners to be determined by multiplying the rate charge times the number of units assigned to each user and/or vacant parcel owner based upon the schedule of units of use in §
225-3 of this chapter. The rate shall be established annually by the Town Board of the Town of Tusten at the time of the adoption of the Town budget.
All sewer charges shall be payable, collectable and enforceable
in the manner provided by law for the payment, collection and enforcement
of annual Town taxes in the Town of Tusten and, if unpaid within 30
days of the billing date, shall constitute a lien upon the real property,
and such lien shall be prior and superior to every other lien or claim
except a lien of an existing tax, water charge or local assessment.
Unpaid sewer charges shall constitute a lien upon the real property
served by the sewer system or such part or parts thereof for which
sewer charges shall have been imposed as and from the first day fixed
for the payment of such sewer charges. The lien shall be prior and
superior to every other lien or other claim except the lien of an
existing tax, assessment, or other lawful charge imposed by or for
the State of New York, or a political subdivision or district thereof.