Manteca Municipal Code Ch. 13.16 Sewer Service Charges

The city council shall set the monthly rates for sewer service charges by ordinance or resolution. The failure to pay any charge shall constitute a violation of this chapter.

(Ord. O2025-08, 4/15/2025[1])

[1]

Editor's Note: Ord. O2025-08 additionally repealed Res. R2010-268; and Res. R2011-221.

Note: Former § 13.16.011, Industrial sewer service charge for Eckert Cold Storage, derived from Ord. 1439; Ord. 1469; Ord. 1534; Ord. O2017-10; Ord. O2020-04; Ord. O2022-01; Ord. O2023-02; Ord. O2024-03; and Ord. O2025-04, was repealed by Ord. O2025-21, 12/16/2025.

A. A senior citizen shall be defined as a resident who is age sixty or older.

B. Low-income senior household shall be defined as a household with a combined income that does not exceed the income limitations for the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) set by PG&E or an equivalent utility provider/agency (as selected by the finance director).

C. The senior must be the utility account holder or in the case of multiple account holders the senior applicant must be one of the account holders.

D. The discount amount shall be determined by funding availability in the fiscal year and approved by the finance director or designee. The amount will be credited monthly to the utility bill.

E. In order to qualify for the rebate, the qualifying low-income senior account holder must provide the following:

1. A copy of the most recent 1040 federal income tax form demonstrating income eligibility and/or Social Security annual statement for each member of the household that earns income. Income includes all taxable and nontaxable revenues, from whatever sources derived, including, but not limited to, wages, salaries, interest, dividends, spousal and child support payments, public assistance payments, Social Security and pensions, housing and military subsidies, rental income, income from self-employment and all employment-related, non-cash income;

2. A signed application provided by the city ensuring that all information provided is accurate and complete;

3. In the event the low-income qualifying senior does not have a utility account established with the city because the sewer charges are paid as part of a multi-unit meter, the property manager and/or owner responsible for the utility account will collect the signed low-income application and income verification from the individuals and submit them to the city finance department. This credit will be applied to the multi-unit account. The property manager and/or owner are/is responsible to pass on the credit to the eligible household. It is unlawful and a misdemeanor for any person to violate this provision. The application shall be created by the finance director.

F. Documentation noted above shall be provided to the city no later than July 15th of each year. The city will have sixty days from this date to apply the credit to the account.

G. Customers who cancel their services prior to the July 15th deadline may request a discount. The noted documents above need to be submitted along with their request to cancel the services. The discount credit will be applied to their final utility billing.

H. In the discretion of the finance director, the discount discussed herein may be cancelled or rescinded, should the city determine inaccuracies and/or misrepresentations on the application; circumstances change for the customer/household; and/or budget/funding matters arise for the city that preclude the city from sustaining the discount discussed herein. The city shall provide a customer thirty days' notice should the discount be cancelled or rescinded.

(Ord. 1256 § 1, 2004; Ord. O2025-05, 3/18/2025)

A. The charges fixed in this chapter for any premises shall be billed and collected with the charges and rates for city utility services furnished by the city to such premises. Such charges fixed in this chapter shall be due and payable in advance at the same time that such charges for city utility services are due and payable.

B. In the event the premises to be charged for sewer service are not connected to the city water distribution system, then, and in that event, the city water department shall bill and collect for the appropriate sewer service charges.

C. All sewer service revenues collected shall be retained by the city regardless of the date of termination of sewer service and no rebates will be made for midmonth disconnection.

D. If the monthly service rate is not paid when due, on the first day of each calendar month thereafter a penalty of two percent of the amount of the delinquent rate shall be added.

(Prior code § 14-9; Ord. 1184 § 1, 2001; Ord. 1410 § 3, 2008)

Charges for services and facilities furnished by the city shall constitute a lien against the lot or parcel of land against which such charge is imposed if such charges remain delinquent for a period of sixty days.

(Prior code § 14-10)

A. In the event the owner, occupant or lessee of premises connected to the sewer system shall fail to pay the sewer service charges provided in this chapter by the fifteenth day of the month following presentation of a bill therefor, the city may in addition to all of the remedies it may have, discontinue furnishing sewer service by means of water service disconnection, and shall not resume the same until all delinquent charges and penalties under this chapter together with any service charge necessitated by the resumption of sewer service have been fully paid. However, service to delinquent customers will not be shut off until the customer is first notified of the intended shut off and given an opportunity for a hearing on the matter.

B. As an alternative to any of the other procedures provided in this chapter or given by law, the city may bring an action against the owner, occupant or lessee of the premises to whom the service was rendered for the collection of the amount of the delinquent rate and all penalties and costs of collection including a reasonable attorney's fee.

(Prior code § 14-11; Ord. 775 § 12, 1987)

In any case where rates are based on water used and the premises are not connected to the city water system, then, in such case, all unmetered water service which flows from a privately owned water system shall be estimated by the city or measured by a meter approved by the city to be furnished and installed by the user, and a sewer service charge will be applied which will be equivalent to that which would be applied if the water were being purchased from the city.

(Prior code § 14-12; Ord. 775 § 12, 1987)

A. Whenever the amount of any sewer charge has been overpaid, or paid more than once, or has been erroneously or illegally collected or received by the city, it may be refunded as provided in this section.

B. The claimant or their guardian, conservator, executor, or administrator must submit a written application to the city's public works director within six months of the alleged overpayment or erroneous or illegal collection. The application must clearly establish claimant's right to the refund by written records.

C. Upon receipt of the claim, the city's finance director will evaluate the request and provide a written evaluation of their analysis, including any refund due, within sixty days.

D. Any claimant aggrieved by the finance director's decision with respect to its refund request may appeal to the city manager by filing a notice of appeal with the city clerk within fifteen days of the public works director's decision. The city manager will render a written decision within sixty days of the claimant's filing of the appeal. The findings of the city manager shall be final, and any amount due shall be immediately due and payable upon the service of notice of the city manager's decision.

(Ord. O2025-08, 4/15/2025)