[Ord. No. 1226, § I, 6-23-2020]
The cost of construction of new public sewers shall be assessed upon the owners of properties within the territory served thereby by a uniform rate as determined from time to time by the City Council under the laws of the commonwealth.
[Ord. No. 1226, § I, 6-23-2020; Ord. No. 1250, § I, 6-28-2022; Ord. No. 1332, 11-13-2025]
The cost of a public sewer constructed between the sewers forming a part of the system heretofore adopted by the City and the street lines of a proposed development or subdivision shall be assumed and paid by the developer/contractor of said development or subdivision, and in the event that the City determines that additional engineering studies are necessary to properly establish potential impact on the existing public sewer system or wastewater plant from the proposed addition, the cost for such studies shall be assumed and paid for by for the developer/contractor; provided, however, that this section shall be limited to the following conditions:
A. 
Application for a permit for such construction shall be made to the Department of Public Utilities by the applicant for the proposed development or subdivision at least 60 days previous to the commencement of such construction; provided, however, that the Commissioner at their discretion may waive such sixty-day period.
B. 
The proposed sewer additions and improvements shall be configured to conform to the City's Master Plan or other studies.
C. 
A plan of the proposed development or subdivision shall be on file with the Community Development Board and such plan shall have been approved by such Board.
[Ord. No. 1226, § I, 6-23-2020]
A. 
The costs of sewer pump stations and other sewer infrastructure to be constructed as parts of proposed developments or subdivisions as described in Section 19-36 shall be assumed and paid by the developer/contractor of said development.
B. 
The Commissioner shall assess a one-time charge upon the developer/contractor to defray the estimated costs of operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of the new sewer infrastructure.
C. 
Applications for permits shall be made in conjunction with and in accordance with the application described in Section 19-36.
D. 
Any developer/contractor who disagrees with the amount of the one-time charge determined by the Commissioner shall have the right to appeal the decision. The matter shall be referred to the City's sewer system consulting engineer, who shall independently calculate the amount needed to defray the costs outlined in Subsection A of this section. The decision of the consulting engineer shall be final and binding on both the City and the developer/contractor. The developer/contractor shall be responsible for all costs resulting from the appeal, including the consulting engineer's fees.
[Ord. No. 1226, § I, 6-23-2020]
Every applicant for a permit to connect with a public sewer, other than the sewers built under the provisions of Chapter 357 of the Acts of 1890, shall pay to the City for the privilege of entering the same, such sum not less than the rates prescribed by Section 19-35 for assessments on account of sewers built under the provisions of such chapter, as the Commissioner may require, provided that no such payment shall be required from the owners of any premises which have been previously assessed on account of the construction of such public sewer and on which such assessment has been fully paid.
[Ord. No. 1226, § I, 6-23-2020]
The payment of assessments under the provisions of the four preceding sections shall not be construed to relieve the owners so assessed from payment of such just and equitable annual charges for the use of such sewers as may hereafter be established by the City Council for the purpose of defraying the expense of operating and maintaining the wastewater system, and the expense of disposal of the wastewater thereof.
[Ord. No. 1226, § I, 6-23-2020]
The Collector of Taxes, upon the receipt of the schedule of assessments, certified by the Commissioner, shall forthwith render notice of assessments and accounts of the same to the persons named therein and shall demand payment of the amount assessed, and such amount shall be due and payable 30 days from the date of such notice, after which time the interest, at a rate per annum equal to 2% above the rate of interest chargeable to the City, shall be charged thereon. If any such assessment shall not be paid within three months of such notice and demand, the Collector shall levy on the same with incidental costs and expenses by sale of the land. If any assessment is invalid by reason of error or otherwise, the same may be abated by the Commissioner or reassessed by them.
[Ord. No. 1226, § I, 6-23-2020]
The rate of interest to be charged with reference to the apportionment of sewer assessments shall be as provided under the provisions of MGL c. 80, § 13, as amended, and MGL c. 83, as amended. Such assessments or apportionments may be collected according to the provisions of law for the collection of taxes upon real estate, and said rate of interest shall be provided under the provisions of MGL c. 80, § 13, as amended, and shall be added to all such assessments or apportionments until they are paid.
[Ord. No. 1226, § I, 6-23-2020]
All sums collected under the provisions of this article shall be placed to the credit of an account to be known as a "Sewer Fund" and shall be applied towards the payment of the principal of the debt incurred for the construction of such system of sewerage as the same becomes due and payable from time to time.