Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code Ch. 13.06 Sewer Service Charges—abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District

This chapter establishes an annual sewer service charge for all parcels of real property in the Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District connected to the sanitary sewer system. The city is responsible for providing sewer service within its boundaries. The amount of money from ad valorem taxes available to the city is inadequate to fund the cost of service for the sanitary sewers. The city's sewer service in the district must be continued without interruption in order to reduce the potential landslide hazard and to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the residents therein and the general public. The purpose of this chapter is to provide financing for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the Abalone Cove Landslide Abatement District sanitary sewer system.

(Code 1981, § 13.06.010; Ord. No. 367-U, § 2, 2001; Ord. No. 368, § 2(part), 2001)

The sewer system in the district is comprised of three types of subsystems:

(i) A gravity subsystem;

(ii) A force main subsystem; and

(iii) A low-pressure subsystem.

Sewer service to each parcel in the district is provided through one or more of these subsystems. Each subsystem requires different levels of operation and maintenance and, therefore, has different maintenance costs associated with it. The district has been divided into four zones as shown in table A set out in section 13.06.050 and on the Abalone Cove Rate Zone Map on file with the department of public works. Each zone corresponds to the specific combination of subsystems used by or immediately available to the parcels located in that zone.

(Code 1981, § 13.06.020; Ord. No. 367-U, § 2, 2001; Ord. No. 368, § 2(part), 2001)

An annual sewer service charge is levied upon each parcel of real property in the district, as shown on the map adopted by the city council on January 6, 1981, attached as Exhibit A to Resolution No. 81-4 on file with the city clerk, and connected to the sanitary sewer system. The annual sewer service charge is necessary to pay for the cost for services and facilities furnished by the city beginning October 2001. The amount of the sewer service charge shall be computed by multiplying the Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs) for the current land use on the parcel, as of March 1 of each year, as shown on Table B set out in section 13.06.060 (ERUs for Various Land Uses—Table B), by the maximum annual charge per ERU for the applicable zone as shown in table C, set out in section 13.06.070 (Maximum Annual Charge Per ERU by Rate Zone—Table C). For the purposes of this chapter, the land uses for the parcels in the district have been assigned sewer flow rates, expressed in ERUs, based on the Los Angeles County Sanitation District standards, as set forth in the Master Service Charge Ordinance of South Bay Cities Sanitation District of Los Angeles County, as adopted March 18, 1998. The flow rates for the Abalone Cove Beach property are based on information provided by the city of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation. The sewer service charge may be increased annually by an amount equal to the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Metropolitan Area (the CPI-U) or its successor index, including all items as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of March 1 of each year, not to exceed a maximum increase of seven percent per year. For any fiscal year that the sewer service charge is not increased by the allowable increase in the CPI-U for that year, the city may add the increase for that year to the CPI-U increase in subsequent years.

(Code 1981, § 13.06.030; Ord. No. 367-U, § 2, 2001; Ord. No. 368, § 2(part), 2001; Ord. No. 639, § 2, 10-20-2020)

The sewer service charge shall be collected for each fiscal year on the County of Los Angeles tax roll in the same manner, by the same persons, and at the same time as, together with and not separately from, the general taxes of the city. For any fiscal year that the sewer service charge is not collected on the tax roll, the city may collect all or a portion of the sewer service charge for such year on the tax roll in the following fiscal year or years.

(Code 1981, § 13.06.040; Ord. No. 367-U, § 2, 2001; Ord. No. 368, § 2(part), 2001)

Table A. Rate Zones

(Code 1981, § 13.06.050; Ord. No. 367-U, § 2, 2001; Ord. No. 368, § 2(part), 2001)

Table B. Number of ERUs by Land Use

(Code 1981, § 13.06.060; Ord. No. 367-U, § 2, 2001; Ord. No. 368, § 2(part), 2001)

Table C. Maximum Annual Charge per ERU by Rate Zone—Fiscal Year 2001-02

(Code 1981, § 13.06.070; Ord. No. 367-U, § 2, 2001; Ord. No. 368, § 2(part), 2001)