Coachella Municipal Code Div. 1 Generally

A. Permit fee. The fee for a sewer connection permit or special sewer permit shall be in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district. After this fee has been paid, it shall not be refunded.

B. Residential sewer capacity connection charge. There shall be a connection charge in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district. Sewer capacity connection charges shall not be refundable.

C. Commercial sewer capacity connection charges. There shall be a connection charge in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district for commercial connections. Flow estimates and strength factors may be based on comparisons to similar existing users or on engineering estimates. The flow assignments will be revised as consumption records become available to the city.

D. Industrial sewer capacity connection charges. There shall be a connection charge in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district for industrial connections. Service units shall be assigned based on a separate environmental review prepared for each industry prior to their connection to the system. This information would normally be part of the environmental review required of any industry by planning and other governmental agencies. Sewer capacity connection charges shall not be refundable.

E. Non-refundable. Sewer capacity connection charges shall not be refundable. Residential, commercial and industrial sewer capacity connection charges shall be reviewed annually in accordance with the ENR 20 Cities Construction Cost Index and the Consumer Price Index.

F. Use of sewer revenue. In order that sewer service is self-supporting, any revenues from the fees collected over and above city council or district approved expenses or transfers shall be placed in a restricted reserve account in the sewer fund, to be used to offset any possible future increase in sewer charges.

G. Timing of payment of sewer connection fees. The sewer connection charges required under subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section shall be due as required by the utilities general manager.

H. Construction in-lieu option. The city may allow partial or complete satisfaction of the sewer connection fees required by subsections (b), (c) and (d) of this section through execution of an agreement requiring the construction of public improvements and/or dedication of property.

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

A. Each property owner shall deposit with the finance director an amount equal to three times the monthly charge set forth in Section 13.01.317. The deposit shall be retained by the city and, in case of delinquency, it shall be applied as necessary to liquidate the cumulative amount of the delinquent charges plus penalties and the cost of collection.

B. If, because of change of classification or for any other reason, the monthly rate is increased or decreased, the owner shall be required to make a supplementary deposit equal to three times the increase in monthly rate in the case of an increase, and the city shall refund to the owner an amount equal to four times the decrease in the monthly rate in the case of a decrease.

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

A. Upon sale of the property, the former owner shall furnish the finance director with the correct name and mailing address of the new owner. The former owner shall be entitled to a refund of the unused portion of his deposit only after all bills and penalties and other charges have been paid and after the new owner has effected transfer of sewer service by applying for service, by guaranteeing that the bills for service to the property or to the occupant thereof will be paid, and by making the required deposit, which four actions shall constitute transfer of sewer service. Bills will continue to be sent to the former owner, or to the occupant in case the occupant is being billed, until the sewer service has been transferred or until such other date as may be agreed upon between the former owner and the new owner.

B. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, a former owner who has sold a property shall be entitled to a refund of any unused portion of the deposit after all bills, penalties and other charges for which the former owner is responsible have been paid and after providing proof that the sale has been completed. For the purpose of this subsection, the former owner shall be responsible for bills, penalties and charges until the end of the month of the sale, except that under unusual circumstances and upon written appeal by the former owner the city council may determine some other appropriate date for the cessation of such responsibility.

C. If a new owner fails for one month to apply for service or make the guarantee or deposit required, the accounting officer shall post notice on the property and mail a copy thereof to the new owner that sewer service will be discontinued unless the new owner does apply for service and make the guarantee and required deposit. If, after the notice has been posted for fifteen (15) days, the new owner has not applied for service and made the guarantee and deposit, sewer service shall be discontinued.

D. If service has been disconnected or terminated it shall not be reconnected or restored until all charges, including penalties, have been paid as provided in Section 13.01.356 or in Section 13.01.357, except that, when the responsibility for the payment of delinquent charges plus penalties or accrued charges is in bona fide dispute, a new owner may obtain temporary service by paying the reconnection charge or restoration charge and by applying for service, guaranteeing that the bills for service to the property or to the occupant thereof will be paid, and making the required deposit. Temporary service shall be for a period not to exceed four months, by the end of which time all charges remaining unpaid shall have been paid or service shall be disconnected or terminated. Bills for temporary service shall be rendered in the same manner as for ordinary service. All rules and regulations pertaining to bills, delinquencies and disconnections shall apply to temporary services in the same manner as they apply to ordinary services.

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

A. Whenever the utilities general manager finds that the use of a property has changed so that the classification to be used as a basis for determining monthly sewer charges has changed, the utilities general manager shall change the classification accordingly and notify the Finance Director and property owner of said change. The effective date of change in classification shall be the first day of the month following the change.

B. If an owner believes property is improperly classified, the owner may request a change in classification. This request shall be filed in writing with the utilities general manager and shall state the reasons why the owner believes the classification should be changed. Upon receipt of a request for change of classification, the utilities general manager shall investigate the request and either change the classification as provided in this section or, if a change is not justified, notify the owner of this fact.

C. If the use of the property has changed so that the monthly sewer charge will be decreased, the responsibility for notifying the city of the change shall rest with the owner and the owner shall not be entitled to a refund of sewer charges paid in excess of the proper charges as a result of a failure to notify the city of the change in use. If a change in use results in an increase in monthly sewer charge the responsibility for determining the change in use shall rest with the city and the owner shall not be liable for any back charges for increased sewer charges except where it can be shown that the owner has concealed the fact of the change in use or knowingly withheld information which could have been used in determining the true circumstances.

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

A. All sewer connection charges for residential, commercial and industrial uses shall be based upon the residential equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) service unit rate established in this section, as computed by the utilities department.

B. Equivalent dwelling unit service units shall be based upon three hundred (300) gallons equals one equivalent dwelling unit for permanent housing for one family or tenant. Residential uses include without limitation single-family detached residences, apartments, townhouses, condominiums, mobile homes and trailer spaces.

C. Commercial structures are those structures designed for the purpose of providing a permanent structure for enterprises engaged in the exchange of goods and services. This includes but is not limited to all private business and service establishments, schools, churches and public facilities. For purposes of establishing connection charges, commercial equivalent dwelling units shall be determined by multiplying the fixture units (as defined by the Uniform Plumbing Code) shown on the approved building plans by the appropriate sewage factor from the following table (Table 13.01.316(e)). Total equivalent dwelling units for commercial centers with various use categories will be the sum of the equivalent dwelling units computed for each use category.

D. Industrial structures are those designed for the purpose of providing a permanent structure for an enterprise engaged in the production, manufacturing or processing of material. For purposes of establishing industrial connection charges, equivalent dwelling units for industrial uses shall be determined as follows:

1. For domestic type wastewater, multiply the fixture units (as defined by the Uniform Plumbing Code) as shown on approved building plans by a sewage factor of 0.0741 based upon a 20-gallon-per-fixture unit flow per day.

2. For nondomestic wastewaters, compute from information contained on the industrial waste discharge permit using the following sewage factor formula:

Sewage Factor Formula SF = K = [0.37 + 0.31(BOD)/230) + (0.32(SS)/220)]

Where:

3. Combine the resultant EDU's derived from subsections (1) and (2) of this subsection.

Table 13.01.316(e) Commercial Use Categories and Sewage Factors

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

Monthly sewer charges for residential, commercial and industrial uses shall be determined based upon the service unit rate formula, as computed by the utilities department according to the following service unit assignment formula:

Service Unit Assignment Formula SU = F/(270(0.37) + BOD(230) X (0.31) + SS(220) X (0.32)

Monthly Sewer Service Charge = SU X Service Unit Rate

Where:

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

A. Residential, multi-residential, church/social hall, public buildings and schools base sewer rate for property located within the city limits shall be based upon the city's operation, maintenance and replacement rate in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district, plus any currently applicable, legally adopted monthly charge assessed by an agency or district providing sewer treatment service to the city.

B. The commercial base sewer rate for property located within the city limits shall be the combined total of the following amounts:

1. The city's operation, maintenance and replacement rate, in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district;

2. The city's administrative rate for supervising commercial uses within the city, in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district; plus

3. Any currently applicable, legally adopted monthly charge assessed by any agency or district providing sewer treatment service to the city.

C. The industrial base sewer rate for property located within the city limits shall be the combined total of the following amounts:

1. The city's operation, maintenance and replacement rate in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district;

2. The city's administrative rate for supervising industrial uses within city limits in an amount adopted by ordinance of the district; plus

3. Any currently applicable, legally adopted monthly charge assessed by any agency or district providing sewer treatment service to the city.

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

The monthly charge for each user classification outside the corporate limits of the city shall be one and one-half (1½) times the city rate, or as agreed upon by the city council or district and the applicant for service. All connections shall be inspected by the engineering department prior to acceptance.

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

After a property has been connected to the sewer system, the monthly sewer charge shall be imposed, whether the property is occupied or not, until such time as the structure using the sewer service is demolished or unoccupied and the sewer connection is capped. The capping of the sewer service is to be inspected by the development services department.

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)

A. The sewer rates established by this article shall be subject to annual review and evaluated in conjunction with annual fiscal year budget preparation. Sewer rates shall be set based upon the actual cost to the city for providing sewer service, capital reserve requirements, any administrative overhead allocation as determined by the annual review, plus any deficit recovery as determined by the city council or district. Administrative overhead cost shall be assessed for providing support services to the enterprise fund and shall be set annually by the city council or district through an adopted cost allocation plan.

B. Any increase in any currently applicable, legally adopted monthly charge assessed by an agency or district providing sewer treatment service to the city shall be immediately passed through to the affected property owners. Any amounts over-collected by the city shall be applied first to the deficit recovery, if any, then to fund balance.

(Ord. No. 1057, § 1(Exh. A), 10-23-13)