Santa Cruz Municipal Code Ch. 16.24 Utility Service Area Expansion

(a) Subject to the qualifications set forth in subsections (b) and (c) in order to preserve the limited remaining water capacity that is available to current utility users and in order to conserve capacity in the city’s wastewater treatment plant, the city council shall not initiate an expansion of the city’s water service area or sewer service area with the State of California Local Agency Formation Commission unless authorized to do so by the approval of a ballot measure to this effect by city voters at a general or special municipal election.

(b) The city council shall, by a majority vote of the full city council, be authorized to initiate an expansion of the city’s water service area without an approving ballot measure only upon finding that the expansion is necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the applicant seeking service; that the property which is the subject of the expansion application formerly received water service from another water source; that the water source of that former water service is no longer viable or available; and that the applicant has demonstrated there is no viable alternative other than a connection to the city water system.

(c) The city council shall, by a majority vote of the full city council, be authorized to initiate an expansion of the city’s sewer service area without an approving ballot measure only upon finding that the expansion is necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the applicant seeking service; that the property which is the subject of the expansion application has previously received septic or sewer service; and that the sewer service, if any, is no longer available to serve the property which is the subject of the expansion application or is incapable of treating the sewage to the same level that sewage is treated by the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

(Ord. 2008-18 § 1, 2008).