The amount of all fees and charges authorized by this chapter, including, but not limited to, charges for monthly sewer service, meters, screens, sewer connection fees, sewer capacity charges, lateral and main connection charges, inflow/outflow monitoring and sampling devices, penalties, user fees, and reconnection fees shall be established by ordinance or resolution adopted by the City Council. The failure to pay any charge shall constitute a violation of this chapter. All charges shall be paid at the time sewer service is requested and, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, by service date thereafter.
(Ord. 895-CS, Enacted, 04/11/1996; Ord. 1018-CS, Amended, 02/12/2004; 1274-CS, Amended, 02/13/2020; 1321-CS, Amended, 11/21/24)
(a) 
Billing and payment. Accounts for sewer collection shall be billed by service date in conjunction with billing for water, garbage, rubbish, and organic refuse services and shall be due and payable in the City of Turlock Finance Office by the due date shown on the utility bill.
(b) 
Nonpayment of sewer system user rates. In the event of nonpayment of the charges for sewer services as provided in this article, the following procedures and penalties shall apply:
(1) 
If payment for any charges shown on the utility bill are not received by the City of Turlock Finance Office by 5:00 p.m. on the fifth day following the due date (including applicable penalties), the customer's account shall be charged a delinquency penalty of Twenty-Five and no/100ths ($25.00) Dollars on the sixth day.
(2) 
Notice. A written notice of delinquency shall be sent by the Finance Office to any customer whose account remains delinquent. The written notice to be mailed or delivered to the customer shall notify him that the service is subject to disconnection and/or delinquent charges will be submitted for collection. Such notice shall contain the information to avoid such action. The City of Turlock shall give notice of the delinquency and impending termination pursuant to California Public Utilities Code Section 10010.
(3) 
If payment of said billing is not received by the City of Turlock Finance Office, or other arrangements are not made by 5:00 p.m. on the fifth day following the due date (including applicable penalties), service may be terminated or submitted for collection; provided, that notice was given pursuant to Section 10010 of the Public Utilities Code and that termination of services for nonpayment of billing shall not occur on any Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, or at any time during which the business office of the City of Turlock is not open to the public.
(c) 
Wrongful termination. Any wrongfully terminated service shall be restored without charge for the restoration of service, and a notation thereof shall be mailed to the customer at the billing address.
(d) 
Third party notification service for residential customers. The City of Turlock shall make available to its residential customers who are sixty-five (65) years of age or older, or who are dependent adults as defined in California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 15610, a third party notification service whereby the City of Turlock shall attempt to notify a person designated by the customer to receive notification when the customer's account is delinquent and subject to termination. The notification shall include information on what is required to prevent termination of service. The residential customer shall make a request for third party notification on a form provided by the City of Turlock, and shall include a written consent of the designated third party. The third party designation does not obligate the third party to pay the overdue charges, nor shall it prevent or delay termination of service.
(e) 
Nonpayment of charges for sewer services by previous residential tenant.
(1) 
The City of Turlock shall not seek to recover any charges or penalties for the furnishing of service to or for a residential tenant from any subsequent tenant on account of nonpayment of charges by the previous tenant.
(2) 
The City of Turlock shall require that service to subsequent tenants be furnished on the account of the landlord or property owner when a nonpayment lien has been imposed on the property.
(895-CS, Enacted, 04/11/1996; 1018-CS, Amended, 02/12/2004, Renumbered to 6-4-404; 1142-CS, Amended, 07/13/2010; 1176-CS, Amended, 12/27/2012; 1242-CS, Amended, 07/26/2018; 1274-CS, Amended, 02/13/2020; 1321-CS, Amended, 11/21/24)
All moneys collected for sewer service shall be deposited into the appropriate enterprise fund.
(895-CS, Enacted, 04/11/1996; 1018-CS, Amended, 02/12/2004; 1321-CS, Amended, 11/21/24)
(1018-CS, Amended, 02/12/2004, Renumbered to 6-4-406, Renumbered from 6-4-402; 1321-CS, Repealed, 10/22/24; 895-CS, Enacted, 04/11/1996)
All on-site and off-site sewer lines, connections, plumbing, and appurtenant facilities, and the construction and installation thereof, shall be constructed or installed at the property owner's expense and shall meet City standards, and be approved by the City, prior to being provided sewer service.
(895-CS, Enacted, 04/11/1996; Ord. 980-CS, Amended, 07/01/2002; 1018-CS, Amended, 02/12/2004, Renumbered from 6-4-403; 1321-CS, Amended, 11/21/24)
When charges and fees are based upon water usage, the total amount of water used from all sources shall be used to determine the charges and fees unless, in the opinion of the Director, significant portions of water received are not discharged into the system. The total amount of water used from public and private sources shall be determined by means of a meter. The City may require the user to install a meter of a type and at a location approved by the City to measure the amount of sewage discharged, if the City believes the user is discharging sewage in excess of the amounts indicated by the water meter.
(1018-CS, Amended, 02/12/2004, Renumbered to 6-4-407, Renumbered from 6-4-404; 1321-CS, Amended, 11/21/24; 8950CS, Enacted, 04/11/1996)
The person who requested sewer service or that person's successor-in-interest, or, if no request was made, the owner of record of the premises on the date sewer service was provided to the premises or to any person requesting that the bill be charged to that person, shall be responsible for the payment of sewer service charges. A project, association, corporation, or other governing body shall be responsible for the payment of sewer service charges to the City.
(930-CS, Amended, 02/12/1998; 895-CS, Enacted, 04/11/1996; 1018-CS, Amended, 02/12/2004, Renumbered to 6-4-408, Renumbered from 6-4-406; 1321-CS, Amended, 11/21/24)
(a) 
Sewer service charges shall be paid for vacant or untenanted premises, except buildings under construction, unless and until a notice of vacancy and a request for the discontinuance of sewer service is made at the office of the Finance Department of the City utilizing the affidavit procedure set forth below.
(b) 
The owner of a vacant single-family unit which is or will be vacant for more than sixty (60) days and will, therefore, not utilize sewer services, may suspend the payment obligation for sewer services by signing an affidavit under penalty of perjury that such single-family unit is vacant.
(c) 
Any property owner who exercises the affidavit procedure of subsection (b) of this section shall promise and have the responsibility to give notice to the City within five (5) calendar days that a vacancy no longer exists and thereafter shall pay for resumption of such collection services as provided in this article.
(d) 
Any property owner who fails to give the notice required by subsection (c) of this section shall have added to their service bill as a penalty the amount for sewer services from the date reflected in the affidavit and shall pay a fine in the amount of Two Hundred and no/100ths ($200.00) Dollars.
(1018-CS, Added, 02/12/2004, Renumbered from 6-4-407; 1321-CS, Amended, 11/21/24)
The City will endeavor to review its costs of service and adopt updated sewer service user rates, pursuant to all applicable laws, at least every five (5) years. Rates may be updated sooner than five (5) years if warranted by significant changes in the City's costs of service or the flows and/or loadings received by the City's sewer system.
(1324-CS, Added, 01/09/2025)