[Adopted 3-3-1988 by Ord. No. 985]
The owner of every property situate in the City of North Wildwood which is connected to the sewerage collection system in the City of North Wildwood shall pay an annual charge for sewer service which shall be based upon the consumption of water at said property, with said annual charge being calculated as provided for in this article.
[Amended 12-6-1988 by Ord. No. 1024; 10-16-1990 by Ord. No. 1073; 3-4-1997 by Ord. No. 1252]
The City of North Wildwood shall charge and collect fees for sewer services, which fees shall be determined as follows:
A. 
The formula for calculation shall include a fixed rate and a variable rate for the total annual sewer charges. The fixed rate shall be $6 per 1,000 gallons of metered water consumption, multiplied by the total of 12 months' consumption of the immediate preceding year. The third quarter rate shall be variable.
[Amended 11-5-2014 by Ord. No. 1661; 2-18-2020 by Ord. No. 1795; 2-7-2023 by Ord. No. 1894]
B. 
The total annual amount of revenue needed to cover wastewater treatment costs shall be calculated by the Tax Collector and Chief Financial Officer. The total fixed-rate charges generated in accordance with Subsection A above shall be deducted from the total annual revenues necessary to fund waste water treatment.
C. 
The dollar value difference determined in Subsection B shall be used to determine the variable rate by dividing said difference by the total metered water consumption of the three-month period covering the months of June, July and August of the immediately preceding year.
D. 
Notwithstanding the formula as established herein, no user of sewerage services in the City of North Wildwood shall pay less than the designated minimum annual fee as determined by the Tax Collector, as further set forth in Subsection E hereof.
E. 
Upon making the calculations defined herein, the Tax Collector, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer, shall submit the proposed sewage rates and a minimum charge to City Council for confirmation by resolution. City Council shall have the right to review these calculations and to take testimony from municipal officials and such other persons as City Council may deem necessary to confirm the proposed sewage rates and the minimum charge, as submitted by the Tax Collector. Should the City Council fail to act within 20 days of the submission of the proposed rates and the minimum charge, the proposed rates and minimum charge shall be conclusively deemed to have been confirmed as submitted. No bills for the annual sewage charges shall be issued until the charges are confirmed by City Council or until the twenty-day-period has expired.
F. 
In the event that an industrial or commercial property utilizes well water rather than, or in addition to, the municipal water system, then a meter shall be installed by the property owner.
[Amended 10-4-1994 by Ord. No. 1188; 5-2-2000 by Ord. No. 1357]
Notwithstanding the provisions of § 360-33 above, if any building is constructed on a formerly vacant lot or if any building is constructed on a lot on which a building had formerly been situated, which building was demolished prior to January 1 of the year in question, then in lieu of the annual service fee calculated in accordance with the provisions of § 360-33 above, a flat fee will be imposed for the year during which a building is constructed, and thereafter, until one full calendar year of usage (January 1 through December 31) has been recorded. The flat fee, as determined by this section, will be prorated as of the first day of the month following the date when a new water tap is installed, or the water meter is reconnected, whichever occurs first. The flat fee shall be as follows:
A. 
Hotel, motel, apartment or single- or multiple-family dwelling: $25 per month or $300.00 per year for each dwelling unit.
B. 
Commercial structure except for a bar or restaurant: $25 per month or $300 per year for each commercial unit.
C. 
Bar or restaurant: $25 per month or $300 per year, plus a per seat charge in excess of five seats of $5 per month or $60 per year.
[Amended 10-4-1994 by Ord. No. 1188; 3-4-1997 by Ord. No. 1252]
The annual sewage service fees shall be payable in four equal installments on the first day of the following months: April, June, September and December of each year. There shall be a ten-day grace period with respect to all payments.
[Amended 3-4-1997 by Ord. No. 1252]
The fees established by this chapter shall bear interest from the date due (plus the grace period) and shall be paid pursuant to and in accordance with N.J.S.A. 54:4-67. In addition, in the event there is a delinquency in the sewer charges to a particular customer's account in excess of $10,000 at the end of the fiscal year, there shall be a six-percent penalty charge on the amount of the delinquency.
Should any property utilize well water instead of or in addition to water supplied by the City of Wildwood Water Utility, then a meter shall be installed at the well in order to monitor such water consumption. The costs of the meter and installation shall constitute a fee to be paid by the property owner with the next installment due for sewer service. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any property owner who can establish to the satisfaction of the Director of the Department of Water and Sewer of the City of Wildwood that any on-site well is used exclusively in conjunction with a lawn-sprinkling system or other gardening purposes shall not be required to obtain a meter for such well.
[Added 6-9-1988 by Ord. No. 1004; amended 10-16-1990 by Ord. No. 1073; 2-7-2006 by Ord. No. 1487; 6-7-2023 by Ord. No. 1906]
There is hereby created what shall be known as the "Sewer Rental Charge Board of Review," which Board shall consist of the Tax Collector, the Chief Financial Officer and the City Administrator. It shall be the responsibility of said Board of Review to receive and review complaints and correspondence regarding the annual sewer rental charges established pursuant to this article. Said Board of Review shall make recommendations to the Mayor and Council, on a case-by-case basis, regarding said complaints and correspondence. Complaints and correspondence must be received by October 1 of each billing year. The Board of Review shall not consider any complaints or correspondence for any previous billing year and may only make recommendations to the Mayor and Council regarding the current billing year. It shall then be the responsibility of the Mayor and Council to act on said recommendations by passage of the appropriate resolution.