[Adopted 9-28-1977 by Ord. No. 26-77; amended 6-15-2011 by Ord. No. 21-11 (Ch. 71, Art. II, of the 1969 Code); 12-19-2012 by Ord. No. 19-12; 2-18-2015 by Ord. No. 03-15; 4-15-2015 by Ord. No. 13-15; 6-17-2015 by Ord. No. 20-15; 6-17-2015 by Ord. No. 20-15; 11-12-2025 by Ord. No. 26-25]
The following schedule of fees shall hereafter be applicable to the public sewers of the Township of Morris, as established by the Township Committee of the Township of Morris:
A. 
There shall be a basic connection fee established in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:26A-1 et seq. (Municipal and County Sewerage Act). The fee shall be $10,800/EDU as defined below for connection to lines serviced by Morris Township sewerage treatment plants. The connection fee for sewerage to lines treated by Morristown, Florham Park, Hanover Township, Harding Township, Morris Plains, Randolph, Madison, Parsippany-Troy Hills or other servicing sewerage treatment facility shall be in accordance with the interlocal sewer service agreement for said facility. If no agreement exists or the agreement does not specifically address a connection fee, then the connection fee shall be paid to the Township as specified above.
B. 
Any existing single-family residential building requiring the installation of a submersible grinder pump shall purchase a pump in accordance with § 410-3M of this chapter. An owner may purchase a pump directly from the Township of Morris when the same have been purchased in bulk by the Township. The cost of the pump shall be the same as the per-unit cost of the pump purchased in bulk by the Township. Maintenance and replacements in the future shall be the responsibility of the owner.
C. 
Except for single-family residential units, the term Equivalent Dwelling Unit or EDU shall mean each individual residential, commercial or industrial unit whether in a single or multi-unit structure placing a flow to the sewer system equal to 197 gallons per day (gpd).
D. 
Each single-family residential unit shall equal one EDU.
E. 
Calculation of Connection Fee: The owner or occupant of a residential, commercial or industrial unit who may wish to or be legally required to connect to the Township sewer system shall pay a connection fee for each EDU in the amount of $10,800 per EDU. The total sewer connection fee shall be determined by multiplying the number of EDUs calculated per (F) below times the connection fee per EDU set forth herein.
F. 
Determination of Number of EDUs. Except for single-family residential units, the number of EDUs shall be calculated by dividing the projected average daily flow for the proposed project by the average daily demand for the single-family residence of 197 gallons per day. Any fractional EDU resulting from the EDU calculation shall be considered one EDU.
G. 
The projected flow for the proposed project shall be calculated by the Applicant, subject to review and approval by the Township Engineer, based on the New Jersey Administrative Code, Projected Flow Criteria set forth by N.J.S.A. 7:14A-23.3.
H. 
The minimum connection fee shall be equal to that for one EDU. No single residential unit, be it single-family, townhouse, condominium or apartment, shall be assessed at greater than one EDU.
I. 
The above-stated connection fee shall be payable in full to the Township of Morris at the time a building sewer permit is issued for connection to the public sanitary sewer, except for single-family residences that had a private sewage disposal system in use on October 1, 1992. Said connection fee is required for all buildings and structures to be connected to the public sanitary sewer. For single- family residences that had a private sewage disposal system in use on October 1, 1992, the residence owner shall have the option of paying the connection fee in full, as stated above, or paying the connection fee in five equal yearly installments, each installment being 20% of the total connection fee. For the installment option, the first installment shall be payable when the building sewer permit is issued, and subsequent installments shall be payable on June 1 of each year following the year of connection. The unpaid balance shall be an assessment against the property and shall bear interest at the rate of 8% per annum. Accrued interest on the unpaid balance shall be paid simultaneously with each annual installment. Interest shall be calculated from the date of issuance of the sewer permit. Delinquencies shall be governed by the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:56-35. Connection fees which are paid to the Township for sewer service which is provided by another servicing facility shall not be eligible for the installment plan unless the interlocal agreement provides for the same.
J. 
Upon establishing a commercial or mixed-use account through the Township of Morris, the Township Engineering Department shall calculate an annual allocation for that property based on flow criteria established by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Said allocation will be reviewed on an annual basis and the customer/property owner may be billed for any unused portion of the annual allocation. The property owner, after establishing a minimum of three years' flow history, may request, in writing, a reduction in flow allocation, which, if approved, will be put into effect during the following billing year. No credit or reduction will be granted for the year prior to the flow reduction request.
K. 
The provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:26A-11.1 through N.J.S.A. 40A:26A-11.3 and any amendment thereto are hereby incorporated by referenced herein as if set forth verbatim.
A. 
There is hereby established an annual sewer service charge, based on a calendar year, for the use of the public sewer of the Township of Morris, as follows:
Use
Charge
Family units:
Each family unit, including private home for a single family
$650
Each family unit in multiple-family buildings
$650
Apartment buildings:
For the first apartment
$650
For additional apartments
$650
Each professional office, in addition to family units
$650
B. 
For all uses other than residential, the amount of the service charge for each such use (multiple businesses in one structure shall constitute a separate use) shall be at the rate of $7.75 per 1,000 gallons of metered water usage or metered sewage, with a minimum of $650 per year, per use, effective January 1, 2026. Thereafter, the rate shall increase as follows:
Year
Residential Rate (per EDU)
Commercial Rate (per 1,000 gallons)
2027
$670
$8.55
2028
$690
$9.40
2029
$710
$9.90
2030*
$730
$10.40
*
Fees will remain at the 2030 rate unless and until another ordinance is passed.
C. 
All users, other than residential, shall either have all water usage metered or shall have the discharge into the sewer system metered by an approved meter installed and maintained by the user. The Township of Morris shall have the right to inspect and check all meters and readings at any time. All sewage meters shall be calibrated on a quarterly basis by a firm approved by the Township of Morris at the owner's expense.
D. 
Any senior citizen who qualifies for a tax deduction under N.J.S.A. 54:4-8.40 et seq. shall pay only a sewer service charge of $200 per year for a family unit occupied by such senior citizen.
A. 
The effective date to bill new buildings for the beginning of the annual sewer service charge shall be the date of the sewer connection, and, for existing buildings, the service charge shall begin 90 days after the date of official notice to connect with the sewer.
B. 
The payment of the annual service charge is required even though the building may be vacant.
C. 
The sewer service charge hereby imposed shall be due and payable biannually to the Township of Morris.
D. 
The biannual sewer charge shall be due on or before April 1 and October 1 and shall be billed annually and collected by the Collector of Sewer Fees of the Township of Morris.
E. 
All metered users will be billed annually based upon the meter readings for the period between the preceding October 1 to September 30 or an estimate made by the Township Engineer, which will be due and payable quarterly on the first day of each calendar quarter.
F. 
Any such sewer service charge not paid on the due date shall bear interest at the same rate as uncollected taxes of the Township of Morris and shall become a lien upon the premises connected to the sanitary sewer system until paid, and the Township of Morris shall have the same rights for the collection thereof, together with interest and costs and penalties, as it has by law for the collection of taxes upon real estate.
The sewer service charges set forth herein shall take effect on and after January 1, 2026, as hereinabove set forth, and all existing sewer service charges shall continue until such date. All connection fees shall take effect immediately upon passage of this article.
A. 
For commercial users who have been allocated specific gallonage for their site and the actual sewer gallonage used is less than the allocation, there shall be a charge equal to 1/3 of the annual sewer service charge paid on an annual basis. Said charge shall be calculated by the Township Engineer, billed by December 31 and payable by March 1 of the following year.
B. 
If the facility is vacant or partially vacant, the sewer charge shall be calculated based on the allocation reserved for said facility.