[Added 12-4-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-14]
A. 
It is regarded as inequitable to finance future capital improvements to the municipal sewer system solely through sewer use (rental) rates. Major capital improvements to a municipal sewer collection and treatment system are most frequently required in order to service future customers, and it appears unfair to require present users to finance this future development, except on some equitable basis. Persons and organizations responsible for development within the City (e.g., developers) are in the best position to allocate costs applicable to the development to the persons and organizations requiring the future services.
B. 
Studies done to date by the City of Lebanon identify projects needed to upgrade and reinforce the existing sewer system in order to best meet existing service requirements and to accommodate system expansion. These same studies identify projects required to expand and extend the existing system to serve future customers. It is the purpose of this article to establish a sewer development fee [hereinafter a sewer development charge (SDC)] to recover the costs of maintaining and expanding the system to serve existing and new customers directly from those customers.
C. 
By imposing the charges set forth in this article, the costs of maintenance and expansion will be distributed more equitably than if they were to be recovered through the sewer use (rental) rates. This is because the charges set forth in this article allow the investment made by existing customers in core facilities on behalf of future customers, and the higher capital costs of serving new customers to be recognized.
[Amended 7-3-2024 by Ord. No. 2024-07]
A. 
An SDC is hereby imposed on all future customers of the City sewer system and on all existing customers who seek to enlarge existing sewer services. This requirement shall apply to customers both within the City and outside the boundaries of the City. (Notwithstanding the foregoing, this article shall not apply to the City, itself, in its role as a developer, nor shall it apply to other governmental entities who seek to establish or enlarge sewer services for governmental use as that term is defined in RSA 674:54.) No person or organization shall be legally entitled to connect to the City sewer system or to enlarge an existing sewer service until the sewer development charge imposed by this section is paid. This section is not in derogation of, but is in addition to, all other fees which may be required by the City of Lebanon under any other applicable codes or ordinances.
B. 
All SDCs imposed by this article shall be determined by the estimated gallons per day of sewer use of a sewer user. The SDC is based on one sewer unit. See the Code of the City of Lebanon, Chapter 68, Fees, regarding the calculation of amounts.
C. 
With respect to persons or organizations seeking to enlarge an existing sewer service or increase existing sewer flows, the sewer development charge imposed shall be the difference between the current permitted sewer units for the same connection, or if none, the sewer units that would have been generated if projected flows had been assessed for the prior use. The Director of Public Works may take other factors into account when determining the valuation of the sewer system.
A. 
The sewer development charge imposed by this article shall be reviewed and updated on an as needed basis. Subsequent updates of the sewer development charge shall be determined generally in accordance with the procedure originally developed by Underwood Engineers, Inc. in their User Rate Assistance Report dated August 26, 2014 and updated by the Department of Public Works in 2019.
B. 
It shall be the responsibility of the City Council to establish the sewer development charge, and the Council shall do so following a recommendation of the City Manager, and following a public hearing held by the Council to receive input on the City Manager's recommendation. The City Manager's recommendation shall include a five-year projection of capital expenditures for projects to be funded by moneys generated under the sewer development charge and shall further include a proposed sewer development charge rate schedule.
C. 
Following the recommendation of the City Manager, the City Council shall review the recommendation and shall act to accept or modify the City Manager's proposed schedule of fees.
D. 
The sewer development charge shall be paid in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter and Chapter 68.
If any person shall unlawfully connect to the City sewer system without payment of the sewer development charge set forth in this article, all unpaid sewer development charges shall constitute a lien upon the property which is connected to the system. The lien pursuant to this article shall be placed on the property in accordance with the provisions of RSA 38:22. Interest on these liens shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of RSA 76:13.
The City Council may abate, for good cause shown, any sewer development charge assessed on any person or organization pursuant to this article. Such abatements may be made on such terms and conditions as the City Council shall deem equitable under the circumstances.