The Fayette City Council has taken the necessary steps to change the quarterly utility billing to monthly billing.  This change will officially start on March 1, 2019.  You should receive your last quarterly utility bill by March 15^th (which will include the months of December, January and February) and will be due on April 15^th.  You will receive your first monthly utility bill at the beginning of April for the month of March and it will also be due on April 15^th.  If you are signed up for automatic payments, the transfer will take place the second Monday of April (April 8^th).  Below are some of the changes you should be aware of as we switch to monthly billing:

• The rates have changed to the following

                                                                                From (Quarterly)                                                  To (Monthly)

Storm Water                                                         $3                                                                           $1

Water     1^st 500 Cubic Feet (CF)                             $39.54 (minimum)                 1^st 150 CF                      $12 (minimum)

                Next 1,000 CF                                       $44.90 per 1,000 CF              All over 150 CF               $0.046 per cubic foot

                Next 1,000 CF                                       $42.30 per 1,000 CF

                Next 1,000 CF                                       $39.70 per 1,000 CF

                All over 4,500 CF                                   $50.10 per 1,000 CF           

Sewer     1^st 500 CF                                              $61.49 (minimum)                 1^st 150 CF                      $18.45 (minimum)

                All over 500 CF                                     $85.95 per 1,000 CF              All over 150 CF               $0.086 per cubic foot          

Recycling                                                              $8.40                                                                     $2

Landfill                                                                  $11.25                                                                   $4.55     

Yard Waste                                                           $4                                                                         $1.35

NEW Water/Sewer Fee                                                                                                                       $10

Approximate Minimum Residential

                Utility Bill (including tax)                        $130.05                                                                    $50.07

• There will be a water and sewer infrastructure and administration fee of $10 per month, per account. It is important to keep our water and sewer systems safe and up-to-date to meet all the state and DNR requirements.  Many cities implement these types of fees when they must pay for unplanned or unexpected infrastructure or improvements to their water or sewer utilities.  The Fayette City Council feels now is the best time to start implementing this fee in Fayette in hopes to start saving for future improvements.  By starting this now, it will hopefully decrease the chance of significant water or sewer rate increases when unplanned repairs or improvements to the water and sewer are needed. 
• Water and sewer rates will continue to automatically increase at 2% per year on June 1^st.
• Utility bills will be prepared and issued on or before the first day of each month, starting April 1^st.
• Utility bills will be due before 8AM on the 15^th day of the month, or by 8AM on the following Monday if the 15^th falls on a Saturday or Sunday. Bills not paid when due shall be considered delinquent and a one-time payment penalty of 6% of the amount due shall be added to each delinquent bill.  ACH customers will not be assessed a late charge unless the payment is considered insufficient for payment.  The non-sufficient funds payment (NSF) will be treated as a non-payment and subject to late fee charges and a $25 charge.
• Fayette City Hall will no longer make courtesy calls or send emails to residents informing them of water shut-off days. The shut-off notice that is mailed out will be the only notification to residents and water shut-off will occur on the date listed on the shut-off notice.  If water is shut-off due to non-payment, a $35 turn-on fee will be assessed to the bill and must be paid prior to getting the water turned back on.
• If you are interested in any of the following options, please contact Fayette City Hall or fill out an application at fayetteiowa.com:
  • Automatic payments (ACH), where the City pulls the ACH payment to be drawn automatically from your bank account. There is no cost to you to sign-up for this service.
  • Online payments with a credit card or bank transfer, where you log on to the city’s website and personally make your payments. There is a fee of $1.50 or 2.5% of the total payment, whichever is greater, per online payment that is charged at the time of your transaction. 
  • Receive your bill by e-mail instead of the postcard you receive in the mail.

If you have any questions, please contact Fayette City Hall.

The above notice was mailed out to all utility account holders.  For a copy of the letter, click here.

 

PUBLIC NOTICE

City of Fayette

Ordinance #501

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF FAYETTE, IOWA, BY REPEALING AND AMENDING SPECIFIC SECTIONS IN CHAPTERS 88, 92, 99, 106 AND 107 TO ADJUST OR ADD RATES, FEES, DEPOSITS, PAYMENT PLANS, AND OTHER CHANGES INCLUDING BILLING MONTHLY FOR WATER, SEWER, LANDFILL, RECYCLING AND STORM WATER.

BE IT ENACTED By the City Council of the City of Fayette, Iowa:

SECTION 1.  SECTION MODIFIED.  The below sections of Chapter 88, Chapter 92, Chapter 99, Chapter 106 and Chapter 107 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Fayette, Iowa, are repealed and the following adopted in lieu thereof:

88.04    RATES.  Each user shall pay for storm and surface water drainage system service provided by the City. The rates for the operation and maintenance of the storm water management facilities shall be collected by imposing a monthly rate on each residential, commercial and industrial user within the City.  The service charges shall be billed as part of a combined service account which means a customer service account for the provision of two or more utility services.  The Council may adopt rules, charges, rates, and fees for the use of the City’s storm and surface water system, and for services provided by the City relating to that system.  Such rules may include delinquency and interest charges and penalties.  Such charges and fees shall be just and equitable based upon the actual costs of operation, maintenance, acquisition, extension and replacement of the City’s system, the costs of bond repayment, regulation, administration, and services of the City.  The rates for the foregoing functions shall be collected by imposing a monthly rate of one dollar ($1.00) on all city utility bills.  Property owned by the City is exempt from the requirements of this chapter.

92.02    RATES FOR SERVICE.  The following rates shall be effective March 1, 2019, until adjusted by the City Council or the automatic 2% increase per year:

Water service shall be furnished at the following monthly rates within the City:

(Code of Iowa, Sec. 384.84)

Cubic Feet Used Per Month	Rate
First 150 cubic feet	$12.00
All over 151 cubic feet	$0.046 per cubic foot

All such rates shall automatically increase 2% per year on June 1^st, unless changed by resolution of council.

Water and Sewer Infrastructure/Administration Fee of $10 per month, per account.

It will be mandatory for all water meters that furnish water to customers have a working radio transmitter furnished by the City and installed by a City Public Works employee.

92.04    BILLING FOR WATER SERVICE.  Water service shall be billed as part of a combined service account, payable in accordance with the following:

1. Bills Issued. The City Administrator/Clerk shall prepare and issue bills for combined service accounts on or before the first day of each month.
2. Bills Payable. Bills for combined service accounts shall be due and payable at the office of the City Administrator/Clerk before 8 A.M. on the fifteenth (15^th) day of the month or the following Monday if the 15^th falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
3. Late Payment Penalty. Bills not paid when due shall be considered delinquent.  A one-time late payment penalty of six percent (6%) of the amount due shall be added to each delinquent bill.  The City Administrator/Clerk is authorized to waive the penalty in instances where circumstances seem to justify the waiver, but no more than one waiver per 12-month period is allowed per property or customer.  Payments made timely but resulting in funds reversed due to lack of good funds will be regarded as a delinquent bill.
4. The City Administrator/Clerk may authorize a payment plan to delinquent accounts, provided the bill is completely paid, including the late payment penalty, by the 15^th of the following month.
5. If a new customer has water turned on less than 13 days out of the first month, they will not be issued a minimum bill for combined service accounts. Their water and sewer usage for the first month will be added to the second month’s usage and billed.
6. Income Offset Program.  All combined service accounts whose amount due balances have remained delinquent for a period of no less than five months may be enrolled in the State of Iowa Income Offset Program.  The City will assess a fee for enrolling an account in the Income Offset Program.
7. ACH customers, those where the City pulls the ACH payment to be drawn automatically, will not be assessed a late charge unless the payment is considered insufficient for payment.  The non-sufficient funds payment (NSF) will be treated as a non-payment and subject to late fee charges and possible other charges associated with the NSF payment.  ACH NSF payments must be paid by the customer to City Hall within five business days of notice and should be paid with cash.  There is a $25.00 charge for NSF payments.

92.10    TEMPORARY VACANCY.  A property owner may request water service be temporarily discontinued and shut off at the curb stop when the property is expected to be vacant for an extended period of time.  During a period when service is temporarily discontinued, as provided herein, there shall be no monthly minimum service charge if the water is off for 45 days or more and water usage stays under 150 cubic feet.  The City will not drain pipes or pull meters for temporary vacancies.

99.02    RATE.  Each customer shall pay sewer service charges for the use of and for the service supplied by the municipal sanitary sewer system based upon the amount and rate of water consumed as follows:

1. First 150 cubic feet or lesser amount per quarter at $18.45 (minimum bill).
2. All over 151 cubic feet per month at $0.086 per cubic foot.

All such rates shall automatically increase 2% per year on June 1^st, unless changed by resolution of council.

Water and Sewer Infrastructure/Administration Fee of $10 per month, per account.

In no case shall the minimum service charge be less than $18.45 per month, which is necessary to retire the indebtedness, operating and maintenance, and reserve necessary for maintaining the sanitary sewer facility.

99.04    PRIVATE WATER SYSTEMS.  Customers whose premises are served by a private water system shall pay sewer charges of $18.45 per month per residential user.

Remove Section 99.09 Annual Notification and 99.11 Biennial Review of the Operation and Maintenance Charges and renumber the following sections to: 99.09 Accounting and Auditing, 99.10 Cost of Toxic Pollutants, 99.11 Charges for Operation and Maintenance for Extraneous Flows, 99.12 Inconsistent Agreements, 99.13 Minimum Utility Charges and 99.14 Customer Deposits

99.14    CUSTOMER DEPOSITS.  There shall be required, from every customer served who is not the owner of the premises, or is purchasing the premises on contract, a deposit to be paid to the city.

1. Before the commencement of service, each customer from whom a deposit is required shall furnish a deposit of $150.00. Deposits will not earn interest for the customer.
2. Upon termination of service, the deposit shall be applied to the customer’s final bill, if the bill is not paid in full by the payment due date, to pay off any charges on the combined services bill. The remaining balance of the deposit, if any, will be sent to the customer listed on the account at a forwarding address provided by the customer, or upon request of the customer will be transferred to the customer’s account within the Fayette service area for water service at a new address.  If the transferred balance is insufficient to constitute the required deposit, the customer shall furnish the additional sum necessary before commencement of service at the new address.

106.09    FEES.  Monthly fees for recycling, landfill fees and surcharge fees shall be levied and collected in accordance with the following:

1. For each single-occupied dwelling unit:
2. Recycling...................................... $ 2.00
3. Landfill......................................... $ 4.55

         Total............................................ $ 6.55

2. For each commercial business, church and nonprofit service organization:
3. Recycling...................................... $ 2.00
4. Landfill......................................... $ 4.55

         Total............................................ $ 6.55

3. Residents of Maple Crest Manor and Upper Iowa University shall be charged per resident for recycling, landfill and surcharge.
4. Payment of Bills. All fees are due and payable under the same terms and conditions provided for payment of a combined service account as contained in Section 92.04 of this Code of Ordinances.  Services may be discontinued in accordance with the provisions contained in Section 92.05 if the combined service account becomes delinquent, and the provisions contained in Section 92.08 relating to lien notices shall also apply in the event of a delinquent account.

107.02    FEES.    Monthly fees for yard waste management shall be levied and collected in accordance with the following:

1. For each single-occupied dwelling unit, commercial business, church and non-profit service organization the fee shall be $1.35 per month.
2. Upper Iowa University shall be charged based on the population count from the 2000 Census which is 363 people for a flat fee of $302.50 per month.

     Maple Crest Manor and Assisted Living Center shall be charged based on the population count from the 2000 Census which is 51 people for a flat fee of $42.50 per month.

3. Payment of Bills. All fees are due and payable under the same terms and conditions provided for payment of a combined service account as contained in Section 92.04 of this Code of Ordinances.  Fees remaining unpaid and delinquent shall constitute a lien upon the premises served with water and/or sewer and shall be certified by the City Administrator/Clerk to the County Treasurer for collection in the same manner as property taxes.

SECTION  2.  SEVERABILITY CLAUSE.     If any section, provision or part of this ordinance shall be adjudged invalid or unconstitutional, such adjudication shall not affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole, or any section, provision or part thereof not adjudged invalid or unconstitutional.

SECTION  3.  WHEN   EFFECTIVE.   This Ordinance shall be in effect upon its passage, approval and publication as provided by law.

Passed by the Council this 19^th day of February 2019, and approved this 19^th day of February, 2019.

Andrew Wenthe, Mayor, City of Fayette

Attest: Kris R. McGrane, City Administrator/Clerk

First reading of Ordinance Amendment: January 21, 2019. Aye’s - Cowley, Larson, Nefzger, Tucker; Nay’s - Wulfekuhle

Second reading of Ordinance Amendment: February 4, 2019. Aye’s – Cowley, Larson, Nefzger, Tucker; Absent - Wulfekuhle

Third and final reading of Ordinance Amendment: February 19, 2019. Aye’s – Cowley, Larson, Nefzger, Tucker, Wulfekuhle

Publication date: February 27, 2019.

Effective date: March 1, 2019.