Riverside Municipal Code Ch. 14.04 Sewer Service Charges

For the purposes of this chapter the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section:

Apartment house is defined to be any building containing three or more dwelling units with separate plumbing facilities, but shall not include any building commonly known as a hotel, motel or auto court;

Dwelling unit is defined to be a suite of one or more rooms which is occupied or intended to be occupied by one person or one family;

Premises refers to and includes a lot or parcel of land, a building or an establishment;

Rooming house is defined as being any building other than apartment houses, motel, hotel or auto court, where two or more rooms are rented to others for lodging purposes by the person in charge of such building;

Sewage is defined as a combination of water or waterborne wastes conducted from a premises;

Sewerage system means those pipe lines, plant facilities and appurtenances constructed, maintained and operated by the City primarily for the collection of sewage and the conveyance thereof to the sewage treatment plant for the treatment of the sewage.

(Prior code § 27.2)

The charges fixed by this chapter shall be applicable only to premises connected to and being served by the sewerage system of the City.

(Prior code § 27.6)

Every person whose premises are served by a connection with the system of sewerage of the City whereby the sewage or industrial water wastes or either or both are disposed of by the City through the sewage treatment plant or otherwise shall pay a sewer service charge as set by resolution by the City Council.

The City Council shall set such charge by resolution and may from time to time, in its discretion, revise such charges. In setting such charges the City Council shall take into consideration the amount and type of sewage discharged into the system by a particular type of land usage and may also take into consideration any factor such as added pumping costs which might justify a charge in one area of the City which might vary from charges in other areas of the City. In setting such charge the City Council may make allowances for vacancies in apartment houses served by master electric meters wherein the number of vacant dwelling units cannot readily be ascertained by the City.

(Prior code § 27.7)

In the event that any person shall fail to pay any charge provided for in this chapter, when the same becomes due, the City may, in addition to any other remedies it has, cut off any of its services, and shall not resume the same until all delinquent charges together with any charges necessitated by resumption of such services and facilities have been fully paid.

(Prior code § 27.9)

All funds and moneys received from the collection of sewer service charges as established by this chapter, shall be deposited with the City Treasurer who shall establish and maintain a separate fund and account to be known as "The Sewer Service Fund." The money of such fund may be used for the retirement of sewer bonds and for payment of interest thereon and for the acquisition, operation, maintenance, construction and reconstruction of the sewerage system; provided, however, that such revenue shall not be used for the acquisition or construction of new local street sewers or laterals as distinguished from main trunk, interceptor and outfall sewers.

(Prior code § 27.10)

It shall be the duty of the Public Utilities Department of the City to collect all monthly charges provided for in this chapter.

(Ord. 7362 § 6, 2017; Prior code § 27.15)

Where possible the charges fixed by this chapter for any premises shall be collected with the charges and rates for water service fixed by the City to such premises, and the charges fixed by this chapter shall be billed on the same bill as is prepared for charges for water service and shall be due and payable at the same time that such charges for water service are due and payable. The charges fixed by this chapter for any single-family dwelling or dwelling units served with electricity by the City shall be billed upon the same bill as is prepared for charges for electric service and shall be due and payable at the same time that such charges for electric service are due and payable. If premises are served neither with electric service nor water service by the City, the charges fixed by this chapter shall be billed to and collected from the occupant of such premises.

(Prior code § 27.16)

The City Council shall have the right to require any person liable to pay any charge fixed by this chapter to make a reasonable deposit with the Public Utilities Department to insure a collection of any charge so fixed.

(Prior code § 27.18)