ORDINANCE 2005-02

 

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 10.08 OF THE MAYFLOWER MUNICIPAL CODE FIXING SEWER RATES; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

 

            WHEREAS, Section 10.08.18 of the Mayflower Municipal Code states in part that sewer rates should not be less than an amount sufficient to provide for the operation, maintenance, and replacement (OM&R) of the sewer system and for the payment of the principal and interest on existing bonds; and

 

            WHEREAS, the city recently retired a sewer loan to the First State Bank of Lawrence County in the amount of $353,264.15 by paying $207,165.00 on December 1, 2004 and using $146,108.15 in the loan Reserve Fund to retire the debt.  Our annual debt service payment schedule was $125,769.00 per year; and

 

            WHEREAS, existing sewer rates are based equally on water consumption for customers both within and outside the city limits.  Customers pay a user charge of $4.04 per 1,000 gallons of billable water for OM&R, and a flat fee of $15.23 per month plus a fee of $1.60 per 1,000 gallon per month for debt service.  A pump maintenance fee of $5.00 per month is also charged for those customers to, which it applies.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MAYFLOWER, ARKANSAS:

 

SECTION 1:  That Section 10.08.08 of the Mayflower Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

 

            The City hereby establishes rates to be charged for services furnished by the wastewater collection and treatment system, which the City Council finds and declares to be the fair, reasonable and necessary, to be charged to all users who are connected to the wastewater collection and treatment system.  The Pump Maintenance Account charge will only apply to those homes that use either the septic tank effluent pump (STEP) system or a grinder pump type sewer system.  Each customer within the city limits connected to the wastewater system shall pay a flat fee of $9.60 per month for debt service, whether or not such customer uses any water for that month.  Such flat monthly fee shall be used to retire indebtedness of the City payable from revenues of the wastewater treatment and collection system.  Customers outside the city limits shall pay a flat fee of $10.60 per month for debt service.  Other charges to users of the wastewater treatment and collection system for debt service and OM&R shall be based upon volume of water used.

 

                                                                        Within the                  Outside the

Charges for customers                                  City Limits                 City Limits

 

Debt Service Flat Fee                                     $ 9.60                          $10.60

OM&R by Volume (per 1,000 gallons)          $ 4.22                          $  5.22

Pump Maintenance Account (As Required)   $ 5.00 per month         $  5.00 per month

 

 

Ordinance 2005-02

Page 2 of 2 Pages

 

            The minimum bill for each customer connected to the wastewater treatment and collection system that uses either the septic tank effluent pump (STEP) system or a grinder pump type sewer system shall be $15.60 per month.  The minimum charge for users within the city limits will be $9.60 per month.  The minimum charge for users outside the city limits will be $10.60 per month

 

SECTION 2:  Conflicting Ordinances.  All other ordinances of the City that are in conflict with this Ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of the conflict.

 

SECTION 3:  Severability.  The provisions of this Ordinance are declared to be severable.  If any section, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance shall for any reason be held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining section, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance, but they shall remain in effect; it being the legislative intent that this Ordinance shall remain in effect notwithstanding the validity of any part.

 

SECTION 4:  Effective Date.  The sewer rate charges established by this Ordinance shall take effect on April 1, 2005.  The sewer rate charge in effect on the date hereof shall remain in effect until that date.

 

Approved and passed this 17th day of March 2005.

 

 

 

ATTEST:___________________________             APPROVED:________________________

                Barbara Mathes, Recorder                                                Franklin S. Pearce, Mayor

 

DATED:____________________________             DATED:____________________________