[Adopted 1-18-1967 by Ord. No. 1520]
There is hereby imposed for the calendar year
1967, and for each year hereafter, an annual sewer rental upon the
owners of properties served or to be served for the use of the sewers,
sewerage system, pumping stations and sewage treatment works, and
for the use of extensions thereof in the course of construction or
to be constructed.
The total amount of the annual sewer rental
shall be such sum as shall be sufficient to meet the following classes
of expenses:
A.
The amount expended annually by the Township in the
operation, maintenance, repair, alteration, inspection, depreciation
and other expenses in relation to the sewers, sewerage system, pumping
stations and sewage treatment works.
B.
Such annual amount as may be necessary to provide
for the amortization of indebtedness incurred by the Township in the
construction and acquisition of such sewers, sewerage system, pumping
stations and sewage treatment works and interest thereon, in order
that said improvements may become self-liquidating.
C.
An amount sufficient to establish a margin of safety
of 10%.
A.
The Township shall secure from the Water Company statements
of the total number of gallons of water used by each individual consumer
or property within the Township connected to the public sewers in
the four quarterly periods used by the Water Company in rendering
its bills as closely proximate in time to the end of the preceding
year as records of the Water Company and its schedules of water meter
readings will permit, and thereafter, in the month of December of
each year, secure from the Water Company statements of the total number
of gallons of water used by each individual consumer or property with
the Township during such four quarterly periods.
B.
Reasonable compensation shall be paid by the Township to the Water Company for the expense incurred by the Water Company in supplying the Township with this information. Reasonable charges paid to the Water Company for such data shall be included as a part of the total amount of annual sewer rental as determined in § 126-8 hereof.
A.
Immediately after adoption of this article it shall
be the duty of the Director of Public Works to estimate the number
of gallons of water which were used during the preceding year by properties
which secured water from sources other than the Water Company but
which discharged water into the Township sewers; and during the month
of December of each year hereafter, it shall be the duty of the Director
of Public Works to estimate the number of gallons of water which have
been used by properties during the year then coming to an end which
came from sources other than the Water Company but which discharged
into the Township sewers.
B.
In making such estimates, the Director of Public Works
is authorized, in the case of residence properties, to estimate the
number of gallons of water used on the basis of the average consumption
of water per dwelling house, and in the case of manufacturing, business
or commercial properties, he may base such estimate on experience
with similarly situated properties or on such information as shall
be available.
C.
Where a property uses water, all or part of which
is from a source or sources other than the Water Company's supply
system, there shall be a sewer rental, separate from and in addition
to any sewer rental based on the consumption of water from the Water
Company's supply system. Such separate or additional sewer rental
shall be measured by the quantity of water from the source or sources
other than the Water Company's supply system which is discharged into
the Township sewers from said property. The owner of each property
may install without cost to the Township a meter or meters to measure
the quantity of water received from other than the Water Company's
supply system and discharged into the Township's sewers. No meter
shall be installed or be used for such property without the approval
of the Director of Public Works, and the sewer rental based upon water
received from other than the Water Company's supply system shall be
the same in amount as is required to be paid by the owner of a metered
property receiving the same quantity of water from the Water Company's
supply system. If the owner of such property fails to install an approved
meter or meters, the Director of Public Works shall make and furnish
an estimate of the amount of water from sources other than the Water
Company's supply system which is discharged into the Township sewer
from said property.
A.
After securing the information from the Water Company as hereinbefore set forth, the Board of Commissioners shall on this day in 1967, and as soon as practicable at the beginning of each year hereafter, adopt an ordinance which shall compute the total number of gallons of water used or estimated to have been used by consumers in the Township in the four quarterly periods used by the Water Company in rendering its bills as closely proximate in time to the end of the preceding year as the records of the Water Company and its schedules of water meter readings will permit. Said total number of gallons of water shall include the number of gallons estimated to have been used as set forth in § 126-10 hereof.
B.
The ordinance shall fix the total amount of the annual sewer rental for the year under consideration and the amount of money to be charged to each property connected to the Township sewer system for each 1,000 gallons of water used by such property. No property shall be billed for less than 20,000 gallons of water per year. The amount to be charged for each 1,000 gallons of water used shall be determined by dividing the total number of thousands of gallons of water furnished to consumers whose properties are connected to the Township sewer system, as shown by the Water Company records, plus the estimated consumption where meter readings are not available, into the total amount to be charged as provided in § 126-8 hereof so as to give a quotient expressed in dollars, cents and mills per 1,000 gallons of water consumed or estimated to be consumed. In computing the number of thousands of gallons per property, 100 gallons, or fractions thereof in excess of 50 gallons, shall be considered 1/10 of 1,000 gallons.
[Amended 11-15-1978 by Ord. No. 1842]
Whenever a property upon which a sewer rental
is imposed uses water from the Water Company, a portion of which is
not discharged into a sewerage system of the Township, the quantity
of water so used and not discharged into the Township sewers shall
be excluded in determining the sewer rental for said property; provided,
however, that the quantity of water so used and not discharged into
the Township sewers must be measured by a device or devices approved
by the Director of Public Works and installed without cost to the
Township.
A.
It shall be the duty of the Township Secretary to
certify a copy of the ordinance fixing the annual sewer rental or
charge for the current year to the Director of Finance. The Director
of Finance shall prepare sewer bills for the year on terms to be specified
by the Board of Commissioners. Such bills shall be fixed in amount
as hereinbefore determined. Sewer bills for the year shall be mailed
to the property owners as soon as practicable after the beginning
of the year.
[Amended 5-16-2018 by Ord. No. 4135]
B.
It shall be the duty of the Township Treasurer to
collect all sewer rents.
C.
It shall be the duty of the Director of Finance to
keep full, accurate and complete records of all sewer rentals or charges,
bills, receipts, payments and transmittals of money to the Township.
He shall certify to the Township Solicitor for collection all unpaid
sewer rent bills, and the Township Solicitor shall proceed to collect
all such delinquent sewer rentals, together with penalties and costs
accrued thereon, either by action at law or by filing liens for the
same in the office of the Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas
of Montgomery County.
[Amended 4-18-1973 by Ord. No. 1690; 4-16-1975 by Ord. No.
1739; 7-19-1978 by Ord. No. 1828; 5-16-2018 by Ord. No. 4135]
Whenever a bill for sewer rent for the current
year is paid during the first two months after the mailing date of
the bill, a discount of 2% will be granted. If a bill is paid during
the second two-month period thereafter, the flat amount of the bill
shall be paid. If paid thereafter but prior to December 1, a penalty
of 10% shall be added to the flat amount of the bill. Bills unpaid
on December 1 of the year mailed shall have a penalty of 20% added
to the flat amount thereof. All billed charges shall be rounded to
the nearest whole dollar.
The foregoing directions as to the time in which
to procure information from the Water Company and other sources, the
time to adopt annual ordinances and the time to mail out bills and
all other times specified herein shall be considered directory only
and not mandatory, and the failure to do one or all of said acts on
time shall not invalidate any ordinance passed, shall not invalidate
any bill rendered and shall not invalidate or forego the collection
of any sewer rental. This article, when referring to sewers, sewerage
system, pumping stations and sewage treatment works, is intended to
mean the complete sanitary sewerage system of the Township and is
not intended to include or relate to storm sewers or surface waters.
[Added 7-18-1979 by Ord. No. 1870]
If the owner of a property served neglects or
fails to pay a bill for sewer rent for any preceding year by February
1 of a current year, the Water Company is hereby authorized and required,
at the request and direction of the Township Treasurer, to shut off
the supply of water to such property until all such overdue rentals,
together with any penalties and interest thereon, shall be paid.
[Added 7-18-1979 by Ord. No. 1870]
In no case shall the water supply be shut off
to any property until 10 days after written notice of an intention
so to do has been mailed to the owner of the property and, in addition
thereto, there has been posted a written notice of such impending
termination of water supply at a main entrance to the property. The
Township Treasurer or his authorized agent shall perform such mailing
and posting.
[Added 7-18-1979 by Ord. No. 1870]
If during such ten-day period the owner of the
property delivers to the Water Company a written statement, under
oath or affirmation, stating that he has a just defense to the claim,
or part of it, for such rentals or charges, then the water supply
shall not be shut off until the claim has been judicially determined.
Such statement shall also contain a declaration under oath or affirmation
that it was not executed for the purpose of delay.
