7.30.035 Water and sewer utility general facilities charges.
A general facilities charge (GFC) (formerly known as a “connection charge”) shall be paid by each customer connecting to the city’s water or sewer system in accordance with the following requirements:
A. Sewer System GFC. The sanitary sewer GFC shall be paid at the time of side sewer permit issuance. The payment amount shall be established based upon the GFC in effect on the date of side sewer permit application. Sewer GFCs shall be in an amount per equivalent residential unit (ERU) added as a result of the development as set forth below; provided, that nonresidential building permit and business license applicants shall pay sewer system GFC when the proposed structure and/or business activity would generate additional probable sewer usage.
1. Sewer system GFCs before the year 2024 shall be assessed on $4,417.00 equivalent residential unit per (ERU) basis as follows:
a. A single-family residential applicant shall pay a GFC equal to one ERU per dwelling unit.
b. A multifamily residential applicant shall pay a GFC equal to 0.67 ERU per dwelling unit.
c. Applicants for nonresidential development shall pay a GFC equal to the ERU determination that is made by the public works director. This determination shall be made by estimating the probable sewer usage of the proposed development. In estimating the probable sewer usage, the public works director may consider, among other factors, the average winter water consumption for similar existing development in the city. If the applicant disagrees with the director’s ERU determination, the applicant may submit additional information and analysis from a qualified engineer, with an additional $200.00 review fee, in support of a request for an alternate ERU determination. The director shall review the request for an alternate ERU determination and may accept the alternate calculation, revise the earlier ERU determination based on the new information, or uphold the earlier ERU determination. Once the director has made a final ERU determination, the applicant may pay the GFC under protest and appeal the determination, along with the underlying permit, to the hearing examiner.
2. Sewer system GFCs in the year 2024 and beyond shall be assessed on $6,598.00 equivalent residential unit (ERU) basis as follows:
a. A single-family residential applicant shall pay a GFC equal to one ERU per dwelling unit.
b. A multifamily residential applicant shall pay a GFC equal to 0.67 ERU per dwelling unit.
c. Applicants for nonresidential development shall be assessed GFCs as follows:
i. The sewer system GFC for a development without an existing water meter shall be paid upon, and according to the date of, application for sewer service, and based upon an ERU equivalent for the size of the water meter to be installed, as set forth in the table below.
ii. The sewer system GFC for a development with an existing water meter shall be paid upon, and according to the date of, application for sewer service, and based upon the difference in the upsize of water meter to be installed, as set forth in the table above.
iii. A sewer system GFC shall not be assessed for a dedicated fire service.
Sewer GFC – ERU Equivalent Water Meter Size | Effective 2024 and Beyond |
|---|---|
3/4" Meter | $6,598.00 |
1" Meter | $16,495.00 |
1 1/2" Meter | $32,990.00 |
2" Meter | $52,784.00 |
3" Meter | $105,568.00 |
4" Meter | $164,950.00 |
6" Meter | $329,900.00 |
8" Meter | $527,840.00 |
B. Water System GFC. The water system GFC shall be paid at the time of issuance of the water meter permit. The payment amount shall be established based upon the GFC in effect on the date of application for water meter. Water GFCs shall be based upon the size of the meter to be installed, as set forth below:
|
Water GFC per Water Meter Size |
Effective Before 2024 |
Effective 2024 and Beyond |
|---|---|---|
|
3/4" meter |
$5,050.00 |
$6,358.00 |
|
1" meter |
$12,624.00 |
$15,895.00 |
|
1 1/2" meter |
$25,248.00 |
$31,790.00 |
|
2" meter |
$40,397.00 |
$50,864.00 |
|
3" meter |
$80,794.00 |
$101,728.00 |
|
4" meter |
$126,240.00 |
$158,950.00 |
|
6" meter |
$252,480.00 |
$317,900.00 |
|
8" meter |
$403,968.00 |
$508,640.00 |
1. Water system GFCs before the year 2024 shall be assessed on the size of water meter to be installed as set forth in the table above.
2. Water system GFCs in the year 2024 and beyond shall be assessed as follows:
a. The water system GFC for a development without an existing water meter shall be based upon the size of the water meter to be installed, as set forth in the table above.
b. The water system GFC for a development with an existing water meter shall be based upon the difference in upsize of the water meter to be installed, as set forth in the table above.
c. For single water connections that provide fire protection and domestic service through a combination water line, the GFC shall be based on domestic service demand alone and shall not be subject to the cost differential when an up-sized water meter is required to meet the design flow rate for an automatic fire sprinkler system. All other costs, including the expense of a larger meter, a general facility charge attributable to the meter sized for the domestic service alone, and other permits and fees, shall remain the responsibility of the owner. This provision only applies to a building containing one or two dwelling units constructed under the International Residential Code (IRC).
3. A water system GFC shall not be assessed for a dedicated fire service.
4. No water GFCs shall be levied for connections to water mains installed pursuant to local Improvement Districts Nos. 115, 146, and 152 by properties which participated in the establishment of said local improvement districts.
5. For the purposes of this section a water meter shall be considered an “existing water meter” if a prior structure served by a water meter is replaced with a new structure on the same site or lot when a water meter application for such replaced structure is submitted to the city within 12 months of the demolition or destruction of the prior structure. [Ord. 4323 § 1 (Exh. A), 2023; Ord. 3883 § 1 (Att. A), 2012; Ord. 3339 § 3, 2000].