Annual Sewer Charges By-law No. 924

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

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TOWN OF LUNENBURG BY-LAW NUMBER 54 A BY-LAW RESPECTING ANNUAL SEWER CHARGES BE IT ENACTED by the Town Council oftheTown of Lunenburg underthe authority of the Tcwn's Act, R.S.I\J.S., 1989 as follows: Shori Title 1 .l This by-law shall be known as and may be cited as the "Annual Sewer Chal-ge By-law". Definitions 2.1 In this By-law: (a) "bed and breakfast establishment" means a private home in which the owner I-esides and provides accornrnodation to the traveling orvacationing publicof a maximum of four bedrooms and a conlmon livingroom and serves breakfast of which the cost is included in the price oiihe accommodation. (b) "chargenand "rate" in this By-lawshall havethe same rneaning and shall be used interchangeably. (c) "Councii" means the Town Council of the Town of Lunenburg. (d) "Dwelling Unit" means one or more habitable rooms designed or intended for use by one or more individuals as an independent and separate housekeeping establishment in which separate kitchen and sanitary facilities are pi-ovided for the exclusive use of such individual or individuals, with a private entrance from outside the building or from a common hallway or stairway inside the building. (e) "Non-residential" means any propeity except property assessed as residential property and without limiting the foregoing, includes all property of an institutional nature i~icluding Homes for Special Care and Nursing Homes. (f) "Non-residential assessment" means all assessment including assessment exempt from taxation and Homes for Special Care and Nursing Homes assessment, but does not include residential property and business occupancy assessment. Page l of 5 "Sanitary Sewer" means a sewer receiving and carrying liquid and water-carried wastes to which storm surface or groundwaters ai-e not intentionall)/ adrnitied. "Sewage" means the combination of liquid and water-carried wastesfroni buildi~igs, containing animal, vegetable or mineral matter in suspension or solution, together with such groundwater, surface wateror siormwateras ~miglit be present. "Sewer" means a pipe or conduit for carrying any, sorne or all of sewage, groundwater, siormwater or surface runoff, and includes all sewer drains, storm sewers, c!ear water sewers, storm drains and combined sewers vested in or under the control of the Town of Lunenburg. "Sewer System" means a sewer which carries either or both of sanitary sewage as defined hereafter and storniwaier as deiined hereafter, and which is owned and operated by the Town. "Sanitary Sewage" means water-cai-ried wastes frorr~ residences, comniercial buildings or pieniises, institutions, and industrial establishments, but excluding stormwater, asdefined hereafter. "Stormwater" means water from precipitation of all kinds, includes water from the melting of snow and ice, groundwater discharge and surface water. "Private Sewer" means a sewer including semier lateral, witicli is loca.ied on private or public property v~ihicli is not owned or maintained by the Town. "Town" shall mean the Town of Lunenbui-g "user" means the assessed owner of real property who is a pet-son, organization, corporation, society, or parinership who discharges sewage ii-ito the sewersystem, serving the Town of 1-unenburg and surrounding areas or discharges sewage directly into the Luiienburg Harbour through a private sewer lateral. "Year" means the fiscal year of the Town. Page 2 of 5 Sewer Charge 3.1 An annual sewer charge or rate shall be billed to users ofihe Town's sewer system based on annual sewer revenue requirements as set forth in this By-law. Annual 3.2 On or before May 1" of each year Council shall by resolution establish the annual sewer revenue level for the current fiscal year, specifying what portion will be received froln Town residential users and what portion will be received from Town non-residential users. Non-residential Sewer Rates 4.1 All non-residential users of the system within the Town limits, shall pay to the Town each year a sewer rate based upon the user's assessment. This rate shall be set by dividing the total revenue requirements from non-residential users within the Town limits as established annually by Town Council, by the total assessment of all of the non-residential users within the Town limits. Residential Sewer Users 5.1 All residential users of the system within the Town limits shall pay to the Town each year a sewer charge per dwelling unit as esiablished annually by Town Council, provided that if the residence is used as a bed and breakfast establishment and is not assessed as commercial property, there shall be an additional annual charge of 25% ofthe rate established by Council as a rate for a dwelling unit multiplied by the number of roolns used in the bed and breakfast establishn-lent. Mixed Use 6.1 Users that own property which contain both residential propei-ty units and non-residential assessment shall pay a sewer charge as follovv's: 6.1 .l Non-residential portion based upon the sewerrate established in section 4.1: and 6.1.2 Residential portion based upon the per dwelling unit sewer charge established in section 5.1. Deemed Dwelling Unit 6.2 For the purposes of this By-Law, where there is a residential use for at least four months in the year that is assessed as residential property but does not constitute a dwelling unit as defined in this By- Law, that residential use shall be deemed to constitute a dwelling unit. Properties Outside Town Limits 7.1 The owner of every residential prope~iy or other property outside of the Town limits of the Town of Lunenburg which is connected to the sewer system of the Town shali pay to the Town a sewer charge as follows: 7.1 .l Residential sewer users shall pay an annual sewer charge per dwelling unit which is double the charge established for residential users in the Town as established in Section 5.j; 7.1.2 Non-residential sewer users - The Town lnay enter into an Agreement with a non-residential sewer user outside of i l ~ e Town limits of the Town of Lunenburg who is connected to the Town sewer system, orwishes to connect to the sewer system of the Town. The rate to be charged to the non-residential sewer user shali be determined by the Council of the Town but the rate shall not be less than double the approximate equivalent amount charged to a non-residential sewer user in the Town of Lunenburg based on an estimate of the total revenue 'from non-residential users within the Town lin~its divided by the water gallonage consurned by the total oi non- residential uscrs within the Town limits (in 1,000 Imperial gallon units). In any agreement entered into with a non- residential sewer user outside of tile Town limits, the Town Inay restrict the amount andlor type of sewage which it will accept into the Town's sewer s)~stem. 7.1.3 All non-residential users outside ofthe'ro\vn Iiniits of the Town of Lunenbilrg shali install a gallonage meiei- in a mariner approved by the Town, to monitor flows of sewage into the Town sewer system and this meter shall be maintained by the property owner at the sole expense of the property owner and shall be made available for inspection by the Town or anyone on its behalf at all reasonable times. 7.1.4 The capital and maintenance costs for all out of Town connections into the Town sewer s)/stem shall be borne solely by the property owner. 7.1.5 Sabject to any more stringent provisions contained in an Agreement between the Town and a non-residential user outside of the Town, all out of Town users must comply with the provisions of the Town Sewer Discharge By-law as amended from time to time. Page 4 of 5 Billings 8.1 Council shall by resolution on or before May IS' of each fiscal year determine whether the sewer rates and charges established in this By-lawshall be billed annually or divided into semi-annual or quarterly installments. Due Dates 9.1 The due date of the sewer charge or rate, or installment thereof, shall be thirty (30) days from the billing date. All accounts outstanding after the due date shall be subject to an interest charge at the same interest rate established by resolution of Council from time to time ior the collection of outstanding taxes. Lien 10.1 A charge or rate levied under this By-law shall constitute a lien on the property and may be collected in the same manner and with the same remedies as rates and taxes levied under the Assessment Act. Revenue Purposes I I I Revenue collected pursuant to this By-law shall be used for any or all of the construction. oweration and maintenance of a sewer svstem, . . including collection, mains or pipes, force mains, pumping stations, and sewaae treatment plant, provided that any excess revenue shall be transfeyred to the Tbwn's'~pecial ~ e s e r v e Fund to offset future costs of the sewer system. Notwithstanding the foregoing, private sewers are the responsibility of the owner thereof. Repeal 12.1 The previous Annual Sewer Charge By-law is hereby repealed. . ~ L u A / L Date Town lVianager/Clerk I, Bea Renton, Town ManagerlClerk for the Town of Lunenburg, do certify that the foregoing is a true and current copy of the amended By-law #54 of the Town of Lunenburg, duly passed by the Lunenburg Town Council on September 11, 2003, with first reading having been given on May 29, 2003, second reading on July 10, 2003 and third and final reading on September 11, 2003, with an effective date of September 29, 2003 when published in the Lighthouse Log newspaper.