[HISTORY: Adopted by the Representative Town Meeting of the Town
of Branford as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 6-30-1999[2]]
It is the purpose of this article to provide for the levying of unit
benefit assessments upon land and/or buildings in the Town of Branford which
are benefited by the extension of water mains which are funded, in whole or
in part, by the Town of Branford. When appropriating funds for the extension
of water mains and levying assessments for such extensions, the procedures
herein set forth shall be followed.
The Branford Representative Town Meeting shall act on water assessments
on the recommendation of the Branford Water Commission.
A.
COMMERCIAL USE
DWELLING UNIT
INDUSTRIAL OR RESEARCH LABORATORY USE
OFFICE USE
RESIDENTIAL USE
For the purpose of this article, the following terms
shall be defined as follows:
Any use of a structure as a place for the exchange of commodities,
services or commercial recreation activities.
A building, or portion thereof, providing housekeeping facilities
for one family.
Any use of a structure as a place to manufacture, fabricate, repair,
build, package, assemble, store, demolish, process or transform the quality
or state of any goods.
Any use of a structure as a place where a business is transacted
or service is supplied, including medical offices and laboratories visited
by clients/patients.
A use of any structure as the living quarters of any person or group
of persons.
B.
Word usage. Whenever herein used and the context so permits,
the singular shall be construed to include the plural and the masculine or
neuter shall be construed to include both and the feminine gender; and each
owner or owners and their respective heirs, successors and assigns shall be
jointly and severally bound.
Before the Representative Town Meeting shall appropriate any funds to
extend or cause to be extended any water mains, at least 10 days' written
notice of the proposed extension shall be given by mail to each known owner
or owners of any land or buildings upon which the cost of such water mains
may be assessed and of the time and place when objections to such extension
shall be heard. Notice shall also be published not less than 10 days prior
to such meeting in a newspaper with a circulation within the Town of Branford.
Such notice shall generally outline the scope of the construction project
and shall inform such property owner or owners that he will be required to
make payment to the Town of Branford for his equitable share of the cost of
such water main extension and that such owner or owners may have to pay to
the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority for connection to or
use of such water main.
Any owner or owners of lands or buildings which abut such main shall
reimburse the Town of Branford his proportionate share as determined in accordance
with this article; except that where the Town of Branford and the Commissioner
of Environmental Protection concur that the need for such extension is in
response to a community pollution problem as defined by Section 22a-423 of
the Connecticut General Statutes, the Town of Branford may waive such reimbursement.
All costs shall be proportioned in such a way as to ultimately leave
the Town of Branford free of any cost of the extension of the water main and
expenses incidental thereto except where any portion of such water service
is to be used for a municipal purpose, in which instance the municipality
shall contribute a fair portion of the expense representing such municipal
share. In the case of land zoned for other than commercial or industrial purposes
or classified as farmland, forest land or open space land on the last completed
Grand List of the Town of Branford, which exceeds by more than 100% the size
of the smallest lot permitted in the lowest density residential zone allowed
under the Town of Branford Zoning Regulations,[1] such assessment shall be deferred until such time as such land
shall be built upon or a certificate of occupancy is issued, whichever event
occurs first. The Town of Branford shall place a caveat on the land records
in each instance where an assessment is deferred.
A.
Subject to reasonable allowances by the Representative
Town Meeting for particular situations, the number of units recovered from
each piece or parcel of land abutting said water main shall be determined
as follows:
(1)
Residential uses. One unit shall be recovered from each
dwelling unit.
(2)
Office uses. A minimum of one unit shall be recovered
from each office structure. An additional unit shall be recovered for each
additional increment of 5,000 square feet or portion thereof of office floor
space located in that structure.
(3)
Commercial uses. A minimum of one unit shall be recovered
from each commercial structure. An additional unit shall be recovered for
each additional increment of 5,000 square feet or portion thereof of commercial
floor space located in that structure.
(4)
Industrial uses. A minimum of one unit shall be recovered
from each industrial unit located in a structure utilized for industrial use.
An additional unit shall be recovered for each additional increment of 7,500
square feet or portion thereof of industrial floor space located in any individual
industrial use in that structure.
(5)
Open space or farmland uses. Any parcel that has been
designated as open space or farmland on the Grand List shall not be considered
as a unit as long as it is so designated. When this designation is no longer
in effect, the piece or parcel of land shall be assessed benefits in conformance
with the procedures set forth herein.
B.
If any parcel is developed with a multiple use (commercial-residential
or office-residential), then the units to be recovered from that parcel shall
be the total of the units derived in conformance with the procedures for each
individual use.
C.
Such shares shall represent a reasonable proportion of
the total cost of such water mains, including but not limited to materials,
installations, pumping stations, service connections, curb, sidewalk and highway
repairs and the cost of installation of gate-valves or shutoff, if any.
D.
If residential or agricultural property or property zoned
for residential or agricultural use abuts lines of construction of water mains
to be used for industrial or commercial purposes or partly for industrial
or commercial purposes, and such property is not being used for such purposes,
the proportionate share of the owners of such property shall be computed on
a front-foot basis for a standard or minimum size main.
Subject to reasonable allowances by the Representative Town Meeting,
the basis for unit charges will be the lesser of the benefits that accrue
to the property by the installation of a water main; or the quotient derived
by dividing the total cost to be recovered by the total number of units abutting
such a main and subject to this article; provided, however, that the Town
of Branford will be left free from any cost of the extension of the water
main unless provided otherwise by this article.
The owner of real property subject to such a water main assessment shall
be liable for and shall be billed for payment of such assessment. Such assessment,
together with interest thereon, as defined by the Connecticut General Statutes,
shall constitute a lien upon the property being assessed, and such lien may
be foreclosed, and such charges may be collected in the manner provided in
Section 7-137d of the Connecticut General Statutes and such other statutes
which are applicable.
A.
Notice of assessment.
(1)
When the Representative Town Meeting has determined the
amount of assessment to be levied, whether installment payments shall be permitted
and the rate of interest on the outstanding balance of said installments,
it shall file a copy thereof in the office of the Town Clerk.
(2)
Not later than 45 days after the filing by the Representative
Town Meeting of its assessment with the Town Clerk, the Branford Tax Collector
shall cause a copy of such assessment to be published in a newspaper having
a circulation in the Town, and it shall mail a copy of such assessment to
the owner of any property as of the most recent Grand List affected thereby.
Said assessment shall be mailed to the owner's address as shown in the last
completed Grand List of the Town.
B.
Installment payments or assessments. The Representative
Town Meeting may allow assessments to be paid in installments over a period
not exceeding 20 years or such lesser period as the Representative Town Meeting
shall determine. The Branford Representative Town Meeting shall fix the rate
of interest to be paid on the outstanding balance of said installments. Any
such interest charge shall not exceed the maximum rate the Town is obligated
to pay on any of its then pending bonds and notes.
C.
Interest payments. Any installment payment due upon any
such assessment and any interest on the outstanding balance of such assessment
which is not paid when due shall bear interest, until paid, at the maximum
rate, from time to time, permitted by law for unpaid property taxes.
D.
Collection. The water main assessment shall be collected
by the Tax Collector of the Town of Branford.
This article may be amended by the Representative Town Meeting from
time to time and at any time as it deems necessary subject to the Charter
of the Town of Branford and the statutes of the State of Connecticut.
