A.
This Township hereby does impose fees against owners who desire to
or are required to connect to the sewer system. The fees shall be
based on the duly adopted rate schedule which is in effect at the
time of payment and shall be made payable at the time set by the Township
or at a time to which the property owner and Township agree.
B.
The property owner, in all instances, rather than tenant(s), shall
be liable for the payment of all sewer charges and fees for services
provided by the Township, and all costs and fees incurred in the collection
thereof. All accounts shall be in the name of the owner only; provided,
however, that a written agreement by and between the Township and
owner to bill the tenant for service may be negotiated.
C.
No officer or employee of the Township is authorized to reduce, vary
or exempt charges imposed herein or other provisions without official
action by the Board of Supervisors.
A.
The owner of any improved property discharging sanitary sewage and/or
industrial wastes into the sewer system shall furnish to the Township,
including by way of the application for permit, all information deemed
essential or appropriate by the Township for the determination of
all applicable user charges and surcharges. The costs of obtaining
such information shall be borne by such owner of the improved property.
B.
In the event of the failure of the owner to provide adequate information,
the Township shall estimate the applicable user charges and surcharges
based upon available information until such time as adequate information
is received. There shall be no rebate of past payments if the owner's
refusal to provide such information results in overpayment.
All such fees payable by the owner shall be calculated by multiplying
the amounts of the various fees times the number of equivalent dwelling
units (EDUs) assigned for the property's use. The Township, in
its sole discretion, shall determine the appropriate number of equivalent
dwelling units to be assigned to a particular property, taking into
consideration data supplied by the owner, all Department of Environmental
Protection regulations, industry reference publications and its own
experience.
Each EDU located in a multiple-use property shall be billed
as a separate entity as though such EDU was in a separate structure
and had a direct and separate building sewer to the sewer system.
A.
A tapping fee is hereby imposed upon the owner of any improved property
to be served by the sewer system which actually connects or is required
to be connected pursuant to the connection ordinance then in effect
requiring such connection.
B.
The fees charged by the Township include charges for connection to
the sewer system, including connection fees, consumer facilities fees
and tapping fees and such other fees as may be authorized by Act 57
of 2003, as amended, or such other act of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
or its agencies and adopted by the Township.
A.
Calculation and itemization of the maximum allowable tapping fee
is attached hereto in Appendix C and made a part hereof.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Appendix C is included as an attachment to this chapter.
B.
The actual tapping fee payable by the owner of an improved property
shall be the product of the number of EDUs constituting such improved
property, times the adopted tapping fee, as noted within the rate
schedule of the Township then in effect.
C.
In the event an improved property, or use thereof (including number
of occupants), changes in a manner that causes the number of EDUs
applicable to such improved property calculated hereunder to increase,
an additional tapping fee based on such additional EDUs shall be immediately
due and payable.
D.
The Township reserves the right to update the tapping fee report
and adopt a revised tapping fee as may be authorized by Act 57 of
2003, as amended, or such other act of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
or its agencies and adopted by the Township.
A.
A user charge is hereby imposed upon the owner of any improved property
which is or shall be connected to the sewer system, for use of the
sewer system, whether such use is direct or indirect, and for services
rendered by the Township in connection therewith, and shall be payable
as provided herein.
B.
At the discretion of the Township, such user charges may be imposed
upon the owner of an improved property who fails or refuses improperly
to connect such improved property to the sewer system, as compensation
for the availability of service by the Township in connection with
the sewer system.
User charges for service applicable to any improved property,
premises, or connection unit constituting a residential establishment,
a commercial establishment, an educational establishment, an industrial
establishment, an institutional establishment or any combination thereof
shall be calculated, imposed and collected on the basis of one of
the following methods, in the sole discretion of the Township:
A.
Flat-rate basis.
(1)
Each property billed on a flat-rate basis shall be charged based
on the number of billing units represented by the property using a
specific charge per EDU applicable to such property, which specific
amount shall be determined, from time to time, by the Township.
(2)
If the use or classification of any improved property changes during
a billing period, the user charge shall be prorated by the Township.
The appropriate credit or charge shall appear on the statement for
the next succeeding billing period. The annual flat rate user charge
payable per billing unit shall be determined by resolution of the
Township from time to time and reflected in the rate schedule.
(3)
The Township reserves the right, from time to time, to establish
additional flat-rate classifications and to establish quarter annum
rates therefor; and the Township further reserves the right, from
time to time, to alter, modify, revise and/or amend flat-rate classifications
and the quarter annum.
(4)
The number of EDUs applicable to commercial and industrial establishments
shall be computed on the basis of the average daily number of full
and part-time employees [including the owner(s) or employee(s) for
the calendar month following the date of the quarterly billing]. The
owners of such facilities shall be responsible for advising the Township,
in writing, of the number of employees upon connection to the sewer
system, a change in the number of employees, and upon request of the
Township.
(5)
The number of EDUs applicable to educational and institutional establishments
shall be computed on the highest monthly average daily attendance
of occupants, pupils, faculty, administrators and staff for the 12
months preceding the date of the billing. The owners of such facilities
shall be responsible for advising the Township, in writing, of the
number of pupils, faculty, administrators and staff in attendance
as an average daily figure upon connection to the sewer system; a
change in the number of occupants, pupils, faculty, administrators
and staff; and upon request of the Township.
(6)
If the use or classification of any improved property changes, the
owner of the improved property shall be responsible for advising the
Township, in writing, of any such change affecting the user charge
payable. The appropriate credit or additional charge shall appear
on the statement for the next succeeding billing period.
B.
Metered-rate basis.
(1)
User charges for any property, in the discretion of the Township,
may be determined on a metered-rate basis calculated according to:
(2)
In either of the foregoing cases, such user charges on a metered
basis shall be computed on the basis of one EDU per each 60,000 gallons
or portion thereof of water consumed or sewage discharged annually.
In no case shall the Township utilize a meter-based user charge for
any user which shall result in a rate below the minimum rates established
for billing units in this section.
(3)
The meters or other measuring devices which shall be required or
permitted for use in determining volume of discharge or water consumed
shall be furnished and installed by the owner of the improved property
at their expense, shall be under the control of the Township and may
be tested, inspected, or repaired by the Township whenever it deems
necessary. The owner of the improved property upon which such meter
or other measuring device shall be installed shall be responsible
for its maintenance and safekeeping, and all repairs thereto shall
be made at the expense of the owner, whether such repairs shall be
necessary by ordinary wear and tear or other causes. Bills for such
repair, if made by the Township, shall be due and payable immediately
upon completion of such repairs and shall be collected in the same
manner as quarterly bills for sewer rentals or charges.
C.
Estimated-rate basis. User charges may also be based upon the Township's
estimate of potable water consumed by any improved property per billing
period and billed in accordance with the metered rate schedule adopted
by resolution of the Township from time to time.
A.
Surcharges shall be paid in addition to all user charges computed
in accordance with the rules and regulations, as amended, and shall
be computed on such basis, and payable at such times, as the Township
may from time to time adopt, including provisions of any agreements
to which this Township is a party governing the treatment of domestic
sanitary sewage or industrial wastes.
B.
Surcharges will be calculated independently on a case-by-case basis
on the duration and degree of severity of the discharge, the actual
cost to remedy and/or treat the discharge and shall be assessed separately.
A.
In the event that the Township shall consent, in writing, under separate
agreement to accept domestic sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes
for discharge into the sewer system from any establishment having
concentrations higher than that described in the prohibited waste,
the Township shall at its discretion impose additional charges for
such waste.
B.
The strength of domestic sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes
to be used for establishing the amount of surcharge shall be determined
at intervals at the discretion of the Township or as may be required
by a particular establishment. The collection and analysis of waste
samples for determination shall be made or under the direct supervision
of a registered professional engineer approved by the Township.
C.
For establishing waste strengths for surcharge purposes, sampling
and analysis shall be made in accordance with the latest approved
edition of "Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater,"
published by the American Public Health Association, Inc. All costs
for waste sampling and collection shall be paid by the owner of improved
property, which entered into separate agreement with Township to accept
such domestic sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes.
D.
The owner of any improved property which shall discharge domestic
sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes to the sewer system having
a BOD content greater than 250 mg/l, a suspended solids content greater
than 300 mg/l, a total phosphorus as P content greater than 7 mg/l,
or a total nitrogen as N content greater that 35 mg/l shall, in the
discretion of the Township, pay a strength-of waste-surcharge, in
addition to applicable user charges, according to the following formulas:
|
Surcharge calculation = (mg/l over normal concentration) ×
(million gallons water usage for month) × (8.34 pounds per gallon
of water) × (fee per pound)
|
Nothing contained herein shall be construed as prohibiting any
special agreement or arrangement between the Township and the owner
of an improved property with respect to terms and conditions upon
which sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes may be discharged into
the sewer system and with respect to payments to be made to the Township
in connection therewith. In such event, such service and payments
with respect thereto shall be governed by terms and conditions of
such special agreement.
