[Added 3-17-2025 by Ord. No. 3071]
A. 
The Village Board has determined that in order to promote the health, safety and general welfare of the community, it is in the best interest of the citizens that the Village continue operating and maintaining a street lighting system. The Board further determined that the operation and maintenance of this system benefits property within the Village that fronts a street with lights. The purpose of this section is to permit the Village, as authorized under § 66.0627, Wis. Stats., to recover costs relating to providing street lighting services through means of a streetlight operations special charge. Revenue generated by the special charge shall be allocated specifically and exclusively to the operation and maintenance of the city's streetlight system.
B. 
No charge shall be imposed on property in any Village block where streetlights are not installed.
A. 
There is imposed a streetlight operations special charge to be collected on all property for street lighting services currently rendered, except for property exempted under § 68-35B.
B. 
Charges shall be imposed to recover all or a portion of the costs of owning and operating the street light system services.
C. 
Each year, quarterly and on the same cycle as Village utility billing (i.e., February, May, August, and November), the Village Finance Director shall determine the amount of the reasonable and direct costs associated with providing streetlight operation services to benefited properties in Shorewood in the preceding three-month period. Based on direction from the Village Board through the budget process, a special charge, in an amount not to exceed the actual cost of providing streetlight services to each benefitted property, shall be allocated to all property fronting a street with streetlights on a per lineal foot of street frontage basis. For property with multiple street frontages (e.g., corner lots), the street on which the property is addressed shall be used for billing purposes.
D. 
Billing and collecting. The streetlight operations special charge shall be sent out quarterly in conjunction with the municipal utility bill and shall be due and payable on the same deadlines as utility bills, within 30 days of issuance, with the following exception: in 2025 only, the May bill will reflect a charge for operational services between January 1, 2025, through the date of billing. Subsequent bills will reflect charges for the preceding quarter between the billing dates of the utility billing cycle. By way of example, the August 2025 bill shall reflect a charge for operational services between the May and August utility bill dates. The February 2026 bill will reflect a charge for operational services between the November 2025 and February 2026 bill dates. The billing cycle will continue in this manner.
E. 
Penalties and delinquent payments.
(1) 
A penalty of 1% per month shall be assessed on unpaid delinquent balances. A 10% charge shall be assessed on any outstanding amounts remaining as of October 31. On October 15 of each year the Village shall give notice to the owner or occupant of all properties on which any streetlight operations special charge has been assessed where the charges are in arrears at that time. The notice shall include the following information:
(a) 
The amount of arrears;
(b) 
That, unless paid by November 1, the arrears will be levied against that property and placed on the tax roll as a lien against the property;
(2) 
If payment is not received prior to November 1, the delinquent charge(s) will be forwarded to the County Treasurer for placement on the tax roll.
F. 
Appeal.
(1) 
Whenever any streetlight operations special charge is imposed in accordance with this section, and the person required to pay the charge feels aggrieved as a result of the imposition or collection of the charge, the aggrieved person shall pay the charge when the charge shall become due but shall pay it under protest. Within 20 days following the payment, the aggrieved person may file with the Village of Shorewood Public Works Committee a complaint to the effect that the person is aggrieved by the imposition and collection of the street lighting cost-recovery special charge, his or her specific reasons for objection, and the amount of the overcharge complained of.
(2) 
If, upon review by the Public Works Committee, it is determined that all or any part of any street lighting cost-recovery special charge paid under protest is not just or reasonable, the Finance Director shall institute necessary procedures for a refund.