[1967 Code § 76-1; Ord. No. 279-11 § 1; Ord. No. 409-2018]
The purpose of this article is to confirm the creation of a Municipal Public Sewer Utility in the Township and to provide for the collection of sewer use charges which shall be paid into the Municipal Public Sewer Utility of the Township. The charges shall, as nearly as may be practical, defray the actual costs of the operation of the sewer plant and such other costs as the Township Committee may decide to include, but not limited to a reserve for uncollected sewer fees, a reserve for future/planned debt related to the waste water plant or capital improvements associated with the wastewater system not incurred with debt.
[1967 Code § 76-2; Ord. No. 279-11 § 2]
As used in this article:
ESTIMATED BILL
Shall mean where limited water use is available, the billing will be calculated using a monthly reading as the average times nine months to establish a yearly sewer fee.
NONRESIDENTIAL UNIT
Shall mean any unit of a building adapted for separate occupancy other than a residential unit, and includes, without limitation thereto, each store, office, school or other commercial, industrial or public establishment.
PUBLIC BUILDING
Shall mean any building owned by the Township, or any agency of the Township, other than the Board of Education of the Township.
RESIDENTIAL UNIT
Shall mean any dwelling or apartment, each apartment to be treated as one unit. Any suite of a dwelling adapted for separate occupancy shall constitute a "residential unit." A suite shall be deemed to be adapted for separate occupancy if it has private housekeeping facilities, even if it does not have a private entrance. An "Accessory Apartment" created pursuant to the provisions of the Zoning Chapter shall not be considered a separate residential unit in the context of this chapter.
SANITARY SEWER
Shall mean the sanitary sewerage system owned and operated by the Township.
[1967 Code § 76-3]
There is hereby established a sewer service charge for the use of the sanitary sewer, to be imposed annually upon the owners of property connected to said sanitary sewer as hereafter provided. The moneys so collected shall be paid into the general revenue of the Township.
[1967 Code § 76-4]
The sewer service charge, with respect to any property, shall be computed by applying the rate of charge hereafter specified to each residential unit and to each nonresidential unit on the property which is connected to the sanitary sewer during any part of the year to which the charge relates, subject to proration, as provided for below, if any residential unit or nonresidential unit is not connected to the sanitary sewer for the entire year.
[1967 Code § 76-5; Ord. No. 9-79; Ord. No. 19-82; Ord. No. 24-83; Ord. No. 43-86; Ord. No. 16-87; Ord. No. 15-88; Ord. No. 34-88; Ord. No. 31-90; Ord. No. 4-92 § 1; Ord. No. 27-92 § 3; Ord. No. 25-93 § 1; Ord. No. 28-94 § 1; Ord. No. 33-95 § 1; Ord. No. 4-98 § 1; Ord. No. 55-00 § 1; Ord. No. 78-01 § 1; Ord. No. 106-02 § 1; Ord. No. 120-02 § 1; Ord. No. 131-03 § 1; Ord. No. 144-04 § 1; Ord. No. 159-04 § 1; Ord. No. 182-05 § 1; Ord. No. 189-06 § 1; Ord. No. 201-07 § 1; Ord. No. 225-08 § 1; Ord. No. 242-09 § 1; Ord. No. 261-10 § 1; Ord. No. 279-11 §§ 3; 4; Ord. No. 303-12; Ord. No. 355-2015; Ord. No. 384-16; Ord. No. 399-17; Ord. No. 418-2018; Ord. No. 435-2019; amended 5-27-2020 by Ord. No. 458-20]
The following sewer service and usage fees are hereby established effective January 1, 2020, and shall remain in full force and effect until revised by ordinance duly adopted by the Township Committee:
a. 
All residential sewer users shall be charged a service fee of $0 per year per unit.
b. 
All commercial and industrial sewer users shall be charged a service fee of $0 per year per unit.
c. 
Residential sewer users that are metered shall be charged a sewer usage fee at the rate of $18.27 per thousand gallons.
1. 
The gallons used shall be the total water metered (actual usage) for the six winter months preceding the billing year. By example, in the billing year of 2020, the gallons are determined from the six months January through March and October through December 2019. The months excluded are: April through September 2019.
2. 
Water consumption figures for each user will be obtained from the water company servicing the premises or by the Township Sewer Department if the meter is not serviced by the water company.
3. 
If the meter is not read or incorrectly read for one or more months of the usage period as determined by the Sewer Utility Collector, the amount charged for those months shall be equal to the approximate average monthly usage among other billable months during the same period.
d. 
Commercial and industrial sewer users that are metered shall be charged a sewer usage fee at the rate of $18.27 per thousand gallons.
1. 
The gallons used shall be the total water metered (actual usage) for the six winter months preceding the billing year. By example, in the billing year of 2020, the gallons are determined from the six months January through March and October through December 2019. The months excluded are: April through September 2019.
2. 
Water consumption figures for each user will be obtained from the water company servicing the premises or by the Township Sewer Department if the meter is not serviced by the water company.
3. 
If the meter is not read or incorrectly read for one or more months of the usage period as determined by the Sewer Utility Collector, the amount charged for those months shall be equal to the approximate average monthly usage among other billable months during the same period.
e. 
Sewer users that are not metered shall be charged a usage fees follows. Residential units: $575 per unit; commercial or industrial units: $1,200 per unit.
f. 
If a user has multiple water sources, the usage fee shall be the combined total of each source as specified in Subsection 22-23c or d if metered, and Subsection 22-23e if unmetered. Only one service fee shall be applied.
g. 
The Township Committee may require a water meter to be installed by any sewer user utilizing a well or other private water system at the property owner's expense.
h. 
Each user who is a resident of this Township and who was 65 years of age or older during the prior calendar year shall be entitled annually, upon submission of a claim on proper forms, to a deduction of $40 from his or her sewer use charge as established hereinabove.
[1967 Code § 76-6; Ord. No. 182-05 § 1; Ord. No. 279-11 § 4; Ord. No. 384-2016; Ord. No. 399-2017]
In the case of a building in single ownership having several stores, offices or residential units or a combination of stores, offices and residential units except for "accessory apartments," served by a common water meter, the annual charges paid shall be a service charge (Section 22-23) for each individual store, office and residential unit plus the per thousand gallon charge (Section 22-23) for the water use recorded by the common meter.
[1967 Code § 76-7; Ord. No. 182-05 § 1; Ord. No. 303-12; Ord. No. 384-2016; Ord. No. 399-2017]
The sewer service charge established and fixed herein shall be an annual charge for each calendar year. The charge for each residential unit and the basic charge for each nonresidential unit shall be payable in one payment before the due date as specified in section 22-24.4
[1967 Code § 76-8; Ord. No. 182-05 § 1; Ord. No. 384-2016; Ord. No. 399-2017]
In the case of any unit, residential or business, or any other type of unit which is not connected to the sanitary sewer system during the entire year, the charge shall be prorated on a calendar year basis, and the unit shall be charged a sewer use charge for the entire month during which the connection is made. For the purpose of construing this article, the date of issuance of an occupancy permit on new construction of buildings shall be considered as the date of connection.
[1967 Code § 76-9; Ord. No. 26-94 § 5; Ord. No. 182-05 § 1; Ord. No. 303-12; Ord. No. 384-2016; Ord. No. 399-2017]
a. 
The Sewer Utility Collector shall bill the owners of sewered property for the sewer service charge annually. Sewer use charges shall be due 30 days after sewer bills are mailed. In the event that the annual sewer charges are not paid as provided herein, the following provision of this article shall apply.
b. 
The charges hereby imposed shall be payable to the Sewer Utility Collector and shall draw the same interest from the time they become due as taxes upon real estate and shall be a lien upon the premises connected to the sanitary sewer until paid, and the Township shall have the same remedies for collection thereof, with interest, costs and penalties, as it has by law for the collection of taxes on real estate.
[1967 Code § 76-10; Ord. No. 182-05 § 1; Ord. No. 384-2016; Ord. No. 399-2017]
There shall be no sewer service charge levied or collected from the Board of Education, volunteer fire companies, first aid squads, Senior Center.
[1967 Code § 76-11; Ord. No. 182-05 § 1; Ord. No. 384-2016; Ord. No. 399-2017]
Nothing herein shall preclude the Township from requiring developers of property to install sewer lines at their own expense or from providing for construction of sewer lines by local improvement assessments.