ORD 1995-28 - Increase Sewer Rates 09-12-1995ORDINANCE NO. 95 -28
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 17, WATER AND SEWERS,
OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE,
TEXAS, CHARGING FOR ACH PAYMENTS REFUSED; INCREASING
THE RATES FOR SEWER SERVICE PROVIDED BY THE CITY; AND
MAKING OTHER PROVISIONS AND FINDINGS RELATED THERETO.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS, that:
SECTION 1: Chapter 17, Water and Sewers of the Code of Ordinances of the City of
Huntsville, Texas, is amended by changing Section 17 -15. Charge for returned
checks, as follows:
Section 17 -15. Charge for returned checks.
The manager of utilities, or any other appropriate City employee shall charge
any utility customer of the City of Huntsville a fifteen dollar ($15.00) charge for checks
returned or for ACH payments refused by the customer's bank advising the City there
are not sufficient funds in the customer's checking account with the bank to pay the
water charge for the customer. This fifteen dollar ($15.00) charge shall be added to
the total outstanding account of the customer and upon refusal or failure to pay this
charge, section 17 -11 hereof shall apply as to said charge. The City shall refuse to
accept checks if more than two insufficient checks have been received from the
customer within the last twenty -four (24) months.
SECTION 2: Chapter 17, Water and Sewers of the Code of Ordinances of the City of
Huntsville, Texas, is amended by changing Section 17 -21. Monthly charge for
sewers, as follows:
Section 17 -21. Monthly charges for sewer.
a. Commercial rate schedule.
Except as hereafter provided, each commercial use of sewer including
churches, financial establishments, hospitals, hotels, laundries, machine shops,
motels, nursing homes, offices, restaurants, service stations, skating rinks,
taverns, theaters and warehouses, supplied with sewer service by the City shall
be charged a monthly sewer service charge based upon the amount of water
consumed by the user and applied to the following rate schedule:
Gallons of water
Used per Month Amount or Rate Charged
first 3,000 minimum monthly charge ............................ $9.15
all over 3,000, per 1,000 ........ ............................... $2.20
b. Residential rate schedule.
Except as hereafter provided, each residential user, including apartments,
duplexes, mobile home parks, and single family residents, supplied with sewer
service by the City shall be charged a monthly water service charge based
upon the amount of water consumed by the user and applied to the following
rate schedule:
Gallons of water
Used per Month
Amount or Rate Charged
first 3,000 minimum monthly charge ............................ $9.15
all over 3,000, per 1,000 ........ ............................... $2.20
(1) individually metered residential units. Each residential dwelling unit
individually metered and billed for consumption of water shall be
charged for and owe each month a sewer service charge based upon
the amount of water consumed, as determined by the meter reading,
applied to the above rate schedule; provided, however, that the
maximum sewer bill for each residential unit is twenty four dollars and
55/100 ($24.55).
(2) Jointly metered residential units.
(a) Each multi - family dwelling unit project shall be charged for and owe
each month a water service charge as follows: A minimum bill equal to
total number of units multiplied by the minimum monthly charge, plus
a consumption charge based upon the amount of water consumed in
excess of three thousand (3,000) gallons, time the number of residential
dwelling units, as determined by the meter reading, applied to the
above rate schedule: provided, however, that the maximum sewer
charge for multiple residential units shall not exceed the number of
units multiplied by twenty four dollars and 55/100 (24.55).
(b) Residential Dwelling Unit shall mean one or more buildings, parts
of a building, manufactured homes, mobile homes, or manufactured
or mobile home site within a mobile home park, which building, part
of a building, manufactured home, or mobile home included or would
normally be designated to include a bathroom, principal kitchen
facilities and living quarters; provided, however, that every designated
manufactured housing or mobile home site, or trailer site with water
and sewer connections within a mobile home park shall be considered
a residential dwelling unit.
C. Vacancy means that unit is unoccupied and the owner received no rent, lease
payment or occupancy fee for the unit.
d. A jointly metered residential dwelling unit customer shall be entitled to apply
for a deduction for vacancies, or credit for future water service with City for
prior water service payments under the following conditions:
(1) one or more of the residential dwelling units used for the basis of
calculation of the minimum bill was vacant for 25 days or more of the
previous calendar month;
(2) a statement is presented to the City, on a form approved by the City,
listing the specific vacant apartments or mobile home sites and stating
the period of vacancy, signed under the penalty of law by the
customer;
(3) the records of the customer, including lease agreement and rental
receipts, are available for examination by City staff for purposes of
verifying the vacancies;
(4) the customer's water bill is paid and proper deposits exist for water
service; and
(5) the statement is delivered with written receipt acknowledged, either
in person or by certified mail, to the City Utility Billing Department
before the 5th day of the month following the vacancy, unless the 5th
is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, in which event the affidavit must
be received by the City by the next day which is neither a Saturday,
Sunday, nor a legal holiday.
(6) If a customer provides a vacancy affidavit to the City's utility billing
supervisor after the time specified in paragraph five above, but before
the 25th day of the month, then the customer shall pay a standard bill
amount for that month and the City shall credit the customer's account
for the subsequent month for one -half the vacancies identified. If a
customer delivers a vacancy affidavit to the City's utility billing
supervisor after the 25th day of the month, then the City shall not
provide the customer with either a deduction or credit against any
utility service.
e. Institutional users.
(1) An institutional user is any person, corporation, agency of the State of
Texas, or political subdivision which uses five percent (5 %) or more of
the total water sold by the City or which discharges five percent (5 %)
or more of the wastewater treated by the City.
(2) An institutional user shall pay to the City a monthly sewer service
charge based upon the amount of wastewater discharged by the user
into the City's publicly owned treatment works, as applied to the
following rate:
Gallons of wastewater
Discharged per Month Amount or Rate Charged
Each1,000 ............................................. $2.20
(3) The amount of wastewater discharged by an institutional user shall be
based upon and determined to be the metered amounts of water
delivered to the user through lines which are connected to plumbing
fixtures which then return wastewater to the City's publicly owned
treatment works, or by wastewater metered connections authorized
by the City Manager.
f. Other charges not affected. Nothing herein shall effect or alter any other
charge for sewer service required by the Code or the city's industrial waste
ordinances.
g. Users without city water. Persons not connected to the waterworks system
of the city shall be billed monthly by the city for sanitary sewer services at a
rate determined by the utility office supervisor, which rate shall be consistent
with the regular sewer service charge of similar type premises or users
receiving service from the city.
If a person desiring service uses water or maintained premises
in such a manner that a similar type user or premises cannot be
found, the utility office supervisor may recommend for
approval to city council such service charge and conditions as
deemed appropriate.
SECTION 3: This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its adoption.
APPROVED this 12th day of September, 1995.
THE CITY OF HUNTSVILLE
by William B. G een, Mayor
ATTE
Danna Welter, City Secretary
APPR VED AS TO FORM:
Scott B u ds, City Attorney