The Borough, by and pursuant to the authority
granted to it by Acts 203 and 209 of 1990 (collectively the "Act"), hereby implements certain charges of enumerated fees to property owners who desire to or are required to connect to the Borough's sewer system by virtue of Article
V, Sunny Acres/Blue Development Sewer Connections, of this chapter. All fees shall be payable to the Borough or its agent, designee or assignee at the time of application for connection, or at such other times as the Borough may designate in its sole discretion.
The Borough hereby imposes a fee for the connection
of any property to the sewer system of the Borough. The connection
fee shall be an amount equal to the actual cost of the connection
of the property extending from the Borough's primary collection line
to the property line or right-of-way line of the property so connected,
which line is otherwise known as the "lateral sewer," inclusive of
all permits, bonds or other permitted charges. No application for
sanitary sewage services shall be granted to any property owner until
the property owner shall have posted with the Borough the connection
fee imposed herein, or such amount as estimated by the Borough to
represent the actual cost of connection as aforesaid. In the event
the fee required prior to the granting of the application is an estimate,
the balance shall be due and payable within 10 days after completion
of the project, or, in the event of an overpayment, a refund shall
be made within said ten-day period. In lieu of the payment of the
fees, the Borough, in its sole discretion, may require the construction
and dedication of those facilities by the property owner or owners
requesting such connection. The current fees and regulations adopted
and to be enforced hereunder shall be as set forth in Exhibit A, said
exhibit being attached hereto and made a part hereof. If the lateral sewer is constructed as part of the original
project, or any authorized sewer extensions thereto, then this section
is inapplicable.
In addition to the connection fee as aforesaid, there shall be imposed upon any property owner wishing to connect to the sewer system of the Borough a customer facilities fee. This fee shall represent the actual cost of facilities serving the connected property from the property line to the proposed dwelling or building to be served, which line is otherwise known as the "service line," in accordance with the requirements of Article
V, Sunny Acres/Blue Development Sewer Connections, of this chapter. This fee shall be chargeable only in the event that the Borough, and not the property owner or owners, installs the customer facilities. The Borough hereby directs that, absent modification hereof by subsequent amendment to ordinance or regulation, the construction of the service line shall be by the property owner or owners requesting customer facilities, at their sole cost and expense. Accordingly, there shall be no customer facility fee hereunder, unless provided for by amendment to this article.
[Amended 9-19-2011 by Ord. No. 09-11]
The Borough hereby imposes a tapping fee in
the amount as set from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council,
determined as set forth on Exhibit B, which exhibit is attached hereto
and made a part hereof by this reference. This fee is determined utilizing all of portions of the
following components:
A. Capacity part. This fee component is imposed for capacity-related
facilities and may not exceed an amount based upon the cost of such
facilities, including those that provide existing service. The cost
of the existing facility shall be based upon their replacement cost
or upon historical costs trended to current cost using published cost
indexes. Outstanding debt on existing facilities shall be subtracted
from the cost; provided, however, that no debt shall be subtracted
which is attributable to facilities exclusively servicing new customers.
In the case of facilities to be constructed or acquired, the cost
of such facility shall not exceed their reasonable estimated cost,
provided that any such facilities must be included in the duly adopted
annual budget or five-year capital improvement plan, and the Borough
must have taken action in furtherance of such facilities as provided
by the Act.
B. Collection costs. The Borough shall also include as
a component part of the tapping fee a fee not to exceed the cost of
collection facilities required to provide said services. The costs
shall be based upon replacement costs or historical costs trended
to current cost using published cost indexes. Outstanding debt shall
be subtracted from the cost, other than debt attributable to facilities
exclusively servicing new customers. The cost of all facilities shall
be further reduced by any grants or capital contributions which have
financed such facilities.
C. Special purpose part. The Borough reserves the right
to charge a fee for special purpose facilities attributable only to
a particular group of customers or servicing only a particular purpose
or area. These costs shall be determined on a case-by-case basis pursuant
to the provisions of the Act.
Where the sewer system of the Borough is to
be extended at the expense of the owner or owners of property, the
property owner or owners shall have the right to construct the extension
or install the facilities themselves, or through a subcontractor approved
by the Borough, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld,
provided that the Borough shall have the right, at its sole option
and discretion, to perform the construction itself only if the Borough
provides the extension or customer facilities at a lower cost and
within the same time table specified or proposed by the property owner
or owners or his or their approved subcontractor. Construction by
the property owner or owners shall be in accordance with an agreement
for the extension of the Borough's system and plans and specifications
approved by the Borough and shall be undertaken only pursuant to the
existing ordinances, regulations, requirements, rules and standards
of the Borough applicable to such construction and shall be further
subject to inspection by an inspector authorized to approve such construction
and employed by the Borough during construction. The property owner
or owners may be required to deposit with the Borough, and in advance
of construction, the Borough's estimated reasonable and necessary
costs of reviewing plans, construction inspections, and administrative,
legal and engineering services. The Borough shall require that construction
shall not commence until the property owner has posted appropriate
financial security and proof of comprehensive general liability insurance
in an amount not less than $1,000,000, which shall include XCU coverage.
The property owner shall reimburse the Borough for reasonable and
necessary expenses incurred as a result of the extension. Upon completion
of construction, the property owner or owners shall dedicate and the
Borough shall accept the extension of the Borough's system, provided
that the dedication of facilities and the installation comply with
the plans, specifications and regulations of the Borough and the agreement.
Where a property owner constructs or causes
to be constructed at his expense any extension of a sewer system of
the Borough, the Borough shall provide for the reimbursement to the
property owner when the owner of another property not in the development
for which the extension was constructed connects a service line directly
to the extension within 10 years of the date of dedication of such
extension to the Borough in accordance with the following provisions:
A. Such reimbursement shall be equal to the collection
part of each tapping fee collected as a result of subsequent connections.
The Borough shall be entitled to deduct from each reimbursement payment
an amount equal to 5%, which shall be deemed to represent the appropriate
charge for administrative expenses and services rendered in calculating,
collecting, monitoring and disbursing the reimbursement payments to
the property owner entitled thereto.
B. Reimbursement shall be limited to those lines which
have not previously been paid for by the Borough.
C. The Borough shall, in the preparation of the necessary
reimbursement agreement with the property owner or owners for whose
benefit reimbursement will be provided, attach as an exhibit an itemized
listing of all sewer and water facilities for which reimbursement
shall be provided.
D. The total reimbursement to which a property owner
or owners shall be entitled shall not exceed the cost of all labor
and material, engineering design charges, the cost of performance
and maintenance bonds, Borough review and inspection charges, as well
as flushing and video recording charges and any and all charges involved
in the acceptance and dedication of such facilities by the Borough,
less the amount which would be chargeable to such property owner based
upon the Borough's collection of tapping fees, which would be applicable
to all, and of the property owner served directly or indirectly through
such extensions if the property owner did not fund the extension.
E. The Borough shall be required to notify, by certified
mail, to their last known address, the property owner or owners for
whose benefit such reimbursement shall apply within 30 days of the
Borough's receipt of any such reimbursement payment. In the event
that the property owner or owners have not claimed a reimbursed payment
within 120 days of the mailing of the notice, the payment shall revert
to and become the sole property of the Borough, with no further obligation
on the part of the Borough to refund the payment to the property owner
or owners.
Whenever a sewer system or any part or extension
thereof owned by the Borough has been constructed by the Borough at
the expense of a private person or corporation or has been constructed
by a private person or corporation under the supervision of the Borough
at the expense of the private person or corporation, the Borough shall
have the right to charge a tapping fee and refund said tapping fee
or any part thereof to the person or corporation who has paid for
the construction of said sewer system or any part or extension thereof.
The rates hereunder shall become effective on
the earliest date permitted by law and shall be applicable to all
properties as soon as they respectively become connected with and
have the right to use the sewer system. The Borough reserves the right
to make such changes from time to time as, in its opinion, may be
desirable or beneficial and to amend this article by resolution or
otherwise as provided by law or to change the rates or charges in
such manner and at such time as, in its opinion, may be advisable.
It is hereby declared that the enactment of
this article is necessary for the protection, benefit and preservation
of the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the Borough.
The Borough Council is authorized by proper
resolution to adopt any necessary rules and regulations necessary
to carry out the provisions of this article and/or its declaration
of purposes.
The remedies, if any, contained herein are cumulative
and in addition to all others, civil or criminal, available to the
Borough of Riverside.
[Added 9-19-2011 by Ord.
No. 09-11]
Any person violating the provisions of this article shall be
punishable by a maximum fine of $1,000, plus costs of prosecution,
and, in default of payment of such fine and costs, imprisonment for
a term not exceeding 30 days.