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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 8680ORDINANCE NO ~ ~~ AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 37-23 AND SECTION 37-26(C) OF CHAPTER 37 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH (1964), AS AMENDED, BY REVISING CERTAIN CHARGES FOR WATER AND SEWER TAPS AND CERTAIN CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARGES MADE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF WATERWORKS REC~ITEGORIZING PENETRA- TION SURFACE AS PAVED SURFACE MAKING THIS ORDINANCE CUMULATIVE OF PRIOR ORDINANCES REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES AND PROVISIONS OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH IN CONFLICT HEREWITH PROVIDING A SAVINGS CLAUSE PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH SECTION 1 THAT Section 37-23 of Chapter 37 of the Code of the City of Fort Worth (1964), as amended, be and is hereby amended and, after having been so amended, shall hereafter read and be as follows "(a) Meters shall be read monthly and the customer notified in writing of the amount of water or sewer service charges incurred by him for such month Such notice may be furnished by depositing a bill for water and/or sewer service charges with the United States Postal Service directed to the last known address of the custo- mer Such water and sewer service charges shall be paid pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the city council and amended from time to time In the event such water and sewer charges are not paid after notice is given pursuant to said rules and regulations, field action may be taken by dispatching a service representative to lock, plug or remove the water meter and/or disconnect the sewer line A special charge of ten dollars and thirty-five cents ($10 35) will be added to the customer's account for field action for delinquent nonpayment, and payment of the delinquent account to the field representative while con- ducting such field action shall not relieve the customer of the field action charge In cases where the water and/or sewer service= has been terminated, such service or services shall not be restored until the total amount due, including all charges prescribed in this section, has been paid in full (b) When water service has been terminated by a lock- ing device and the water service line or meter installa- tion or lock has been removed or damaged, an additional fee of ten dollars ($10 00), broken lock charge, shall be assessed the customer's account (c) All customers requesting the activation of water and/or sewer service will be requested to place a deposit in accordance with the provisions of section 37-30 hereof In the event this deposit is not received within seven (7) working days from the date of application, such water and/ or sewer service, if already initiated, may be terminated pursuant to city council rules and regulations, and a field action charge of ten dollars and thirty-five cents ($10 35), for nonpayment of service deposit, will be added to the customer's account in addition to any accrued costs for service rendered to the time of termination (d) For all customers requesting a transfer of service, a seven dollar and sixty-cent ($7 60) transfer charge shall be made (e ) For all work done in setting a meter or activa- ting/reactivating water and/or sewer service, a special charge of seven dollars and sixty cents ($7 60) shall be added to the customer's account for such field action (f) For all checks returned from the bank, a special charge of five dollars ($5 00) will be added to the custo- mer's account for office handling of the returned check If the customer does not remit payment for the returned check, field action to collect payment or to terminate service will be required and a charge of ten dollars and thirty-five cents ($10 35), for field action for returned check, will be added to the customer's account (g) A "straight connection is defined as any type device installed in lieu of a water meter, connecting the city's water service pipe to a private service pipe for the purpose of obtaining unmetered water Whenever a straight connection is found in lieu of a water meter, the straight connection shall be removed by the city A spec- ial charge of ten dollars and thirty-five cents ($10 35), will be made for the removal of such straight connection When a straight connection is found where there is no record of a request for service, the ten dollar and thirty-five cent ($10 35) special charge for the straight connection removal shall be added to the applicable spec- ial charge for subsequent activation and to all estimated water billings, and it shall be paid by the party request- ing the activation A separate ten dollar and thirty-five cent ($10 35) special charge shall be made for each and every straight connection removal, and the party request- ing the activation shall pay for all straight connection removals charged to the service location, in addition to the applicable activation charge and all estimated water billings, before service will be activated " SECTION 2 THAT Section 37-26(c) of Chapter 37 of the Code of the City of Fort Worth (1964), as amended, be and is hereby amended and, after having been so amended, shall hereafter read and be as follows "(c) A charge shall be made by the city water depart- ment for each tap made to a water main for a connection, which charge shall be determined by the size of the connection and the character of the surface of the street in which the connection is to be located From the fol- lowing schedule shall be determined the charge for making taps, and the charge shall be payable in advance -2- INSTALLATION CHARGE, WATER Paved Street (Concrete, H M C A , Unimproved flexible base or Size Tap Street penetration) 3/4 inch $ 225 00 $ 395 00 1 inch $ 260 00 $ 480 00 1 1/2 inch $ 470 00 $ 700 00 2 inch $ 530 00 $ 760 00 For each 3/4 inch branch, add $25 00 For each 1 inch branch, add $35 00 Any water connection larger than two (2) inches shall be made under contract between the customer and the city Total material and installation costs of the tap and meter or meters, including multiple meter settings instead of a three (3) inch or larger meter setting, shall be paid by the customer Payment shall be based on the cost esti- mated by the Water Department, acting by and through the director of the Water Department Developers will pay the full cost of all water service taps constructed by con- tract in new developments All water meters connected di- rectly to the city's water system on and after the effec- tive date hereof shall be the property of the city When requested to do so, City forces may install building sanitary sewer taps and sewer service laterals which are intended for connection to the City sanitary sewer system, and the requesting party shall be required to pay a fee for such installation according to the schedule provided below Fees are based on the size of the connection and the character of the surface of the street in which the connection is located, and shall be payable when application for installation is made The fees are as follows SEWER TAP AND/OR SEWER SERVICE LATERAL Location and Type of Street Four inch Six inch Eight inch Tap in street Unimproved $ 325 00 $ 480 00 $ 525 00 Paved (concrete, H M A C , flexible base or penetration) 530 30 700 00 720 00 Tap in alley 245 00 280 00 325 00 Tap in easement 185 00 220 00 225 00 In the case where sewer taps and sewer service laterals are not installed by City forces, application shall be made to the Water Department for authorization of installation by private concerns Pre-installation plans must be approved by the Water Department Such approval shall include approval of any contractors who intend to perform the installations The Water Department shall provide the applicant with a written description or sketch showing the approximate location of the sanitary sewer serving the property All installations must be approved by the Water Department before connection to the sanitary sewer system is made -3- The city maintains in part of the downtown area a separate sanitary sewer system to serve the basements of the buildings located in that area The separate system is referred to as the deep sewer The construction of the sewer tap and/or the sewer service lateral shall be done by the city forces provided that where the sewer service lateral can be constructed without cutting the surface of the public street, the plumber or person holding the permit may be permitted by the plumbing inspector to con- struct the sewer service lateral in accordance with re- quirements of the Fort Worth Plumbing Code and all other applicable ordinances of the city, subject to the approval of the plumbing inspector Any work done by city forces in making a deep sewer connection shall be paid for by the plumber or other person holding a plumbing permit relating to such deep sewer connection The above charges shall be in addition to the appli- cable fee or fees provided for in the Fort Worth Plumbing Code No plumbing permit for work which involves the con- struction of the sewer tap and/or sewer service lateral shall be issued until the charges have been paid and receipt evidencing such payment is presented to the person issuing the plumbing permit " SECT ION 4 That this ordinance shall repeal every prior vision of the Fort Worth City Code in conflict insofar as any portion of such prior ordinance or in conflict, and as to all other ordinances or Fort Worth City Code not in direct conflict herew shall be and is hereby made cumulative SECTION 5 ordinance and pro- herewith but only provision shall be provisions of the ith, this ordinance That all rights or remedies of the City of Fort Worth, Texas, are expressly saved as to any and all violations of Chapter 37 or of any amendments thereto, of the Fort Worth City Code (1964), as amended, which have accrued at the time of the effective date of this ordinance and as to such accrued violations, the Court shall have all of the powers that existed prior to the effective date of this ordinance SECTION 6 It is hereby declared to be the intention of the City Council that the sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses and phrases of this Ordinance are severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence, -4- paragraph or section of this Ordinance shall be declared unconsti- tutional by the valid judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, such unconstitutionality shall not affect any of the remaining phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs and sections of this Ordinance, since the same would have been enacted by the City Council without the incorporation in this Ordinance of any such unconstitutional phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph or section SECTION 7 That this Ordinance shall become effective and be in full force and effect from and after its passage, provided, however, that the increased charges specified herein shall apply to customer utility statements sent by the City of Fort Worth on or after December 1, 1982, and it is so ordained APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY n..r'" City Attorney Date ~ ~ - `~ _ ~~" ADOPTED 4!°-/~°8Z EFFECTIVE i/-/~--g~~- DGH th -5- ~~ ~= pity of wort Worth ~~.~ca~ Ii4ASTER FILE•1 1 CITY MAnAGER•1 ~~ LL~J/ ®11 ~ U (L~ ~o ~LIV~~ IV~ ~®~~ U/U/ U IV~~~~ (V® l/ U/ ACCOUNTING•2 sip !LIC WORKS•B I NUMBER CE I SUB;IECT Proposed Ordinance Amending I PAGE 1.1/16/82 G-5477 atex _anii Sanitary Sewer Special Service. 1of 3 MATER The Water and.,. Sewer Rate Ordinance of the City provides. for .uniform charges to all cus.tomer.s...based .on measnreci volumes. caf ~xater In .addition to char.°ges for water and sewer-service there are. .some specie]: services rendered to customer accounts and in. connecting new taps to mains These charges are paid only by those customer s.. who receive specal.s.ereices from the Water Department It is .pro.posed. that the cost of servicing customer accounts and providing water and sewer taps be°updated to reflect the, actual cost of these special services Rates for serving customer accounts. were last adjusted in August 1981 and tap `,~ charges were last adjusted in October, 1979 ~'~ ~ Customer Account Charges Both old and .n.ew..customer~s pay -a char;ge;. for :activating a :service (sett.ing a meter ox turning on a serviee.J. Customers. wh©se accounts are delinquent are charged for such services as turning, off services locking, meters in the off position turning on services, bre~.king locks, and returned checks P.roc.essing accounts of°water and..s.ewer,customers who do not pay their bills in a responsible manner has `become nereas;3:ng,1y expensive... .The.. costs inc.urred._.fo?° service act.ivation..or reactivation has also inere,ased.. T.he.,. fo.llowin.g changes. in special servie,e charges .are propased::. Work Special Servi.c.e Charges. Present. Proposed Field Action for Delinquent Non-P~aymen.t $ 9 45 $ 10 35 ~ Straight.Connect3on Removal Charge 9...45 10 35 Transfer of Service 13 00 7 60 Field Action for Activatiozi/Reactivation 6..50 7 60 (Turn on Meter) Field Action for~Non-Payment .of Service 9 45 10 35 Deposit Field Action...for Returned Check 9. 45 10 35 Office Handling of Returned Check. 5 00. 5 00 Broken Lock Charge 10 00. 1.0 00 The proposed charges v~ere determined from the resu.lt.of .a detailed cost analysis using 1981-82 historical data fo,r the sp.e.cial services p.r..ovided (60 000 meters set removed or transferred and .25.,.000 customers whose service was terminated due. to non-payment or returned checks), and using current costs for labor ax~zd matFx~ia to provide these services It should be noted that the transfer, of service charge has d.ecre.as.E.d Cur_°ren.t.ly when transferring service the customer is charged for one field trip £_.o read out the meter at°-the existing address .and. is also char..ged..fo.r another: fi..el.d trip to set a meter at the new address, with the..billing and deposa.t records intac.r However if a customer ssimply terminates service, there .is no charge fox° the final read out and billing Many customer complaints are received on th.~s charge and it is felt to be more equitable to charge for establishing service and DATE REFERENCE SUBJECT Proposed Ordinance Amending PAGE NUMBER 11/16/82 Water and Sanitary Sewer Special Service 2 of 3 G-5477 Charges and Tan Charges __ not for the "read out" service, resulting in a charge of $7 60 as opposed to $15 20 Water and Sanitary Sever Service Taps ~.~~ 7 Since charges were updated in 1979 costs for making service taps have increased especially for taps requiring pavement repair The following tabulation of proposed charges more accurately reflect costs associated with this Water Department service The Department also propose to treat "penetration pavement as it would any other type of paved surface for purposes of this ordinance At present a separate charge category exists for "penetration" pavement which should be eliminated The reclas- sification will be consistent with current Public Works Departments' definitions of "paved" surface Charge by Size Sewer Taps 4" 6" 8 Location Present Proposed Present Proposed Present Proposed Easement $160 $185 $180 $220 $200 $225 Alley 225 245 245 280 300 325 Dirt Street 325 325 450 480 475 525 Paved Street 475 530 600 700 655 720 All sewer. taps over 8 in size are paid based on the actual cost of construction by the City Charge by Location Water Taps Dirt Street Paved Street Size Present Proposed Present Proposed 5/8" x 3/4 $150 $225 $325 $395 1" 225 260 400 480 1-1/2 350 470 550 700 2 450 530 650 760 All water taps over 2 in size are paid based on the actual cost of construction by the City The increased costs of taps acid related services includes an analysis of the material equipment labor and related costs associated with construction of these taps ~P ~i~ -_ ~~ ~~~ DATE REFERENCE SUBJECT P.t'o.posed Ordinance Amending PAGE 11/16/82 NUMBER Water, and Sani.tarq Sewer Special Servic 3 ~ G-547.7 Charges and Ta Char es 0> Recommendation. It is .recommended that. `t he C~,tq Ccaunci3, adopt...the attached Ordinance amending Sections 37-23 and 37-2.6 f.c) of Chapter 3.7 of the Fort Worth Citq Code pertaining t0 special service charges and tap charges for water and sewer service Such ordinance and the charges prescribed therein to become effective on December 1, 1982 DAT kc Attachment l ' APPROVED BY CIT.I(. COUNCIL ADOPTED ORDINA~iCE NO g~ ~~ NOV 1~ 192 ,c~t-°-~ C ecxetaty of the " oY Tozt Woxth, xezaq SUBMITTED FOR THE CITY MANAGER'S DISPOSITION BY COUNCIL: PROCESSED BY OFFICE BY: ^ APPROVED ORIGINATING ^ OTHER (DESCRIBE) DEPARTMENT HEAD: R1Chard Sable CITY SECRETARY FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT Richard Sawe EXt • 8220 DATE