9442-03 Amend Chapter 17 - Establish new Sewer Rates

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(~j ~ For the service rendered to the City of South Bend said City shall be subject to the same rates and charges established in harmony therewith. {~j ~ In order to recover the cost of monitoring industrial wastes, the City shall charge the user not less than $100.00 per sampling event plus the actual cost for collecting and analyzing the sample(s) as determined by the City or by an independent laboratory. This charge will be reviewed on the same basis as all other rates and charges in this ordinance. (c) All class II users (wholesale users) (1) Billing for sewage services shall be in accordance with the executed intermunicipal contract for wastewater treatment services, but in no event shall those rates through 2005 be more than the rates for Class I users. Section II. Chapter 17, Article 2, Section 17-25 of the South Bend Municipal Code be and hereby is amended to read as follows: a. In order that the rates and charges for sewage services may remain in proportion to the cost of providing services to the various users ,the City shall cause a cost of service study to be made on a reasonably regular basis as determined by the Board of Works which cost of service study shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of the cost associated with the treatment of excessive strength effluents form from industrial users, volume and delivery flow rate characteristics attributed to the various users or user classes, the financial position of the sewage works and the adequacy of its revenue to provide reasonable funds for the operation of maintenance, replacements, debt service requirements, taxes and capital improvements to the waste water treatment systems. A similar study shall be made on a reasonably regular basis as determined by the Board of Works for the purpose of reviewing the fairness, equity and proportionality of the rates and charges for sewage services on a continuing basis. Said studies shall be conducted by officers or employees of the City or by a firm of certified public accountants, or a firm of consulting engineers which firms shall have experience in such studies, or by such combination of officers, employees, certified public accountants or engineers as the City shall determine to be best under the circumstances. Such cost of service study shall be a prerequisite to any revision or adjustment of the rates and charges, as necessary. b. The sewage rates and charges set forth in the preceding section 17-21 shall be revised and adjusted for calendar year 2995 2006 to assure adequacy in the cost of maintaining the City sewer works in sound physical and financial condition necessary to render adequate and effective service. However, until such adjustment, the sewage rates and charges in the preceding Section 17-21 shall remain in full force and effect. Discussions between the City Administration and the Common Council concerning sewer rates for 2995 2006 and thereafter shall commence by June 299# 2005. Furthermore, the Mayor and the Common Council will establish within sixty (60)days of the passage of this Ordinance an advisory committee, with both the Mayor and the Common Council President having an equal right of appointment. The committee will be broadly representative of the community., and will include one representative from each of the three (3 largest customers with at least one of the three to be a customer located within the City of South Bend. The group will act as a sounding board to the management of the municipal wastewater utility and will offer advice on cost of service principles for future rates and future revenue -3-