Hawthorne Municipal Code Ch. 13.74 Sewer Service Fee

A sewer service fee, in an amount set forth by resolution of the city council, per hundred cubic feet of water utilized by customers of either the city water service or other nongovernmental water utility located within the city shall be paid.

(Ord. 1584 § 2, 1995; Ord. 1814 § 2, 2005)

Procedure for Claiming Partial Exemption by Commercial or Industrial Customers. Commercial and industrial customers who demonstrate with evidence acceptable to the city that the amount of their discharge to the sewer system is substantially less than the percentage indicated in Resolution No. 6943, shall be eligible to apply for a partial exemption. The commercial or industrial customer shall pay for the cost and expenses of a city contracted auditor to perform an audit of sewer flow related to the amount of water billed. If the audit demonstrates by evidence acceptable to the city public works department that the commercial or industrial customer discharges substantially less into the sewer system, the city engineer may reduce the sewer service charge in accordance with the audit results. Such audit shall be performed on an annual basis and submitted to the city engineer. Such audit may be performed less often than on an annual basis with the approval of the city engineer.

(Ord. 1829 § 1, 2005)

The sewer service fee shall be collected with city and other governmental water utility water bills. This fee shall be a debt owing to the city from the person receiving the service, or from the property owner if billed thereto. Upon failure to pay any such rates, the city may bring an action in a court of proper jurisdiction to collect the same.

(Ord. 1584 § 2, 1995; Ord. 1814 § 3, 2005)

A. Water Service Suppliers. Any water service supplier doing business within the city providing water service to persons within the corporate boundaries of the city shall render billings, collect the rates due, and remit the same to the city in accordance with such rules, procedures and methods as may be determined by the city manager as being reasonably necessary, and to provide for circumstances or situations for which no specific provision is included herein. The duty to collect the rates herein imposed shall commence with the beginning of the first regular billing period which starts on or after the operative date of the ordinance codified in this chapter.

B. Reporting and Remitting. Each water service supplier shall, on or before the twentieth of each month, make a return to the city treasurer on forms in the manner prescribed by said city treasurer, stating the amount of rates billed by the water service supplier during the preceding month. At the time the return is filed, the full amount of the rates collected shall be remitted to the city treasurer. The city treasurer is authorized to determine if the rates herein imposed are being properly levied and collected. Returns and remittances are due immediately upon cessation of business by said water service supplier for any reason.

C. Records. The water service supplier shall keep and preserve for a period of three years all records necessary to determine the amount of such rates collected and remitted to the city treasurer. City personnel shall have the right to inspect said records at all reasonable times.

(Ord. 1584 § 2, 1995)