§ 1000-6. Service charges.

[6.1] The authority shall establish sewer service rates or user fees.

(Amd. of 7-17-1972; Amd. of 12-1-1975, § 1)

6-1.1 For users who have metered water, the sewer commission shall obtain water meter readings provided by the water company. The annual sewer service charge for residential users will generally be determined by multiplying the current sewer service rate by the sum of water consumption for the months of November, December, January, February, and March, multiplied by 12/5 (or 2.4).

(Amd. of 6-5-2018)

6-1.2 Commercial bills will be calculated by multiplying total water used by the current sewer service rate. Users who have wells, will be billed the average of all metered residential users. Any user may install a meter to record the amount of non-sewered water used and apply for bill reductions

6-1.3 Laundromats and car washes shall receive a ten-percent discount on their sewer service bill.

6-2 Each year the sewer commission shall establish the rate to be applied to the amount of water used by each customer. Tentative rates shall be established during August and final rates by the end of September for the year commencing on the subsequent October 1. All costs of operating and maintaining waste treatment and collection shall be recovered by the annual sewer service charge.

(Amd. of 7-17-1972; Amd. of 12-2-1974; Amd. of 6-27-1991; Amd. of 8-29-1994; Amd. of 8-25-1997, § 2)

6-2.1 Effective October 1, 2009, the standard charge shall be at the rate of $4.00 per hundred cubic feet of water.

(Amd. of 7-17-1982; Amd. of 7-1-1974, § 1; Amd. of 6-30-1975, § 1; Amd. of 6-27-1978; Amd. of 6-26-1979, § 2; Amd. of 6-23-1980, § 4; Amd. of 6-22-1981, § 4; Amd. of 6-25-1984, § 2; Amd. of 6-28-1986, § 2; Amd. of 3-20-1989, § 2; Amd. of 6-7-1990, § 2; Amd. of 6-27-1991; Amd. of 8-29-1991, § 1; Amd. of 8-31-1992; Amd. of 8-29-1994, § 2; Amd. of 8-29-1995, § 1; Amd. of 8-27-1996, § 1; Amd. of 8-25-1997, § 3; Amd. of 9-1-1998, § 2; Ord. of 8-28-2003, § 1)

6-3 The sewer authority may establish a minimum sewer service charge for each billing year.

(Amd. of 7-17-1972; Amd. of 8-7-1972; Amd. of 6-27-1991)

6-3.1 Effective October 1, 2009, the minimum service charge shall be $155.00. The service charge shall be due and payable to the tax collector for the year October 1 to September 30. Any appeals from these charges must be taken within 21 days after the date that the charges are filed with the town clerk in the Superior Court.

(Amd. of 8-7-1972; Amd. of 7-1-1974, § 2; Amd. of 6-30-1975; Amd. of 6-13-1977, §§ 1, 2; Amd. of 6-27-1978; Amd. of 6-26-1979, § 1; Amd. of 6-23-1980, § 3; Amd. of 6-22-1981, § 3; Amd. of 6-25-1984, § 1; Amd. of 6-28-1986, § 1; Amd. of 6-25-1987, § 1; Amd. of 6-22-1989, § 1; Amd. of 6-7-1990, § 1; Amd. of 6-27-1991; Amd. of 8-29-1991, § 2; Ord. of 8-28-2003, § 2)

6-4 Reserved.

6-5 The sewer service charges shall be for each year from the first day of October to the 30th day of the following September, and shall be due and payable in advance, on or before the 31st day of October of each year. If unpaid, said charges shall bear interest at the statutory rate for delinquent taxes, including any applicable minimum interest charge from October 1.

(Amd. of 7-17-1972; Amd. of 1-28-1975; Amd. of 9-8-1975, § 2; Amd. of 6-27-1991)

6-5.1 Properties that are connected to the sewer system between October 1 and September 30 shall be billed a sewer service charge prorated monthly for the remainder of the billing period. When customers move from one address to another in Darien and both residences are served by sanitary sewers, the invoice will be based on water consumption of the old residence. When a property owner has no previous water consumption history in the Town of Darien the invoice will be based on the average of all metered residential users. Payment shall be due 30 days after the date of the invoice. If unpaid, charges shall bear interest at the statutory rate for delinquent taxes, prior to the ensuing September 30th.

(Amd. of 8-12-1974, § 1; Amd. of 6-27-1991)

6-5.2 Sewer service charges that exceed $500.00 per parcel may be paid in two installments. The first installment is due and payable on October 1 and the second installment is due and payable on April 1. Any property owner may pay choose to pay the entire amount on October 1. If the first installment is not paid before the 31st day of October, the entire bill shall become delinquent and subject to the statutory rate of interest.

(Amd. of 12-1-1975, § 2; Amd. of 6-28-1982; Amd. of 6-27-1991)

6-6 In the event any adjustment in a water bill affects the basis on which the annual sewer service charge is established, an appropriate adjustment in the annual sewer service charge shall be made by a credit or additional charge on the next bill or at the time of payment The superintendent of sewer services may permit adjustments to a user's annual sewer service charge for various reasons under the provisions of rules, regulations and guidelines that may be adopted from time to time by the sewer authority.

(Amd. of 6-27-1991)

(Amd. of 6-1-2010)

Editor's note

An amendment of June 1, 2010 restated and amended former § 1000-6 in its entirety.