13.03.010 General provisions.
A. The city of Cotati will furnish water service in accordance with the rules and regulations hereinafter contained, and in accordance with applicable ordinances, to any property within the corporate limits of the city and to such other premises, properties, areas, or locations as the city council may from time to time designate.
B. Applications for water service will be made in writing, by phone, or online. Such application will signify the applicant’s willingness and intention to comply with all regulations or rates duly adopted by the city, and to make payment for services rendered.
13.03.210 Water connection fees.
A. Any single-family homes, planned unit developments, condominiums and multiple-family projects are charged connection fees per meter size, except for meters serving both domestic demands and the needs of a fire suppression systems. If meters are oversized for serving a fire suppression system, in addition to domestic demands, the service shall be charged connection fees for the equivalent meter size calculated to adequately meet domestic demand, as approved by the City Engineer, and documented in the utility account. In no case shall the connection fee be less than the equivalent of a ¾-inch meter. Industrial and commercial uses are charged connection fees per meter size.
Connection fees are established by resolution of the city council.
1. Each year, commencing on July 1, 2013, and continuing thereafter on each July 1st, the water connection fee shall be adjusted in proportion to the change in the ENR (Engineering News Record) Construction Cost Index for San Francisco over the prior year. The base ENR San Francisco CCI is equal to 10,388.84 (June 2013).
B. Water Meter Charge. Any person wishing to connect to the city’s water system, change meter sizes, or replace an existing meter shall pay a water meter charge, per meter connected, in an amount established by resolution sufficient to recover the administration cost, the cost of the water meter, and any related equipment. A request to increase the water meter size is subject to the incremental increase in the connection fee based on the proportional increased capacity of the meter. In cases where an increase follows a prior reduction in meter size, the applicant is responsible for providing documentation demonstrating connection fees had been previously paid for the larger meter to avoid paying the increased connection fee.
C. Water Service Lateral. All water laterals shall be installed between the structure and the meter by and at the sole cost of the owner or developer of the property. (Ord. 840 § 6(part), 2013).
13.03.230 Water service charges.
A. Fixed Charge. The fixed meter rates for water services provided by the city of Cotati are established by resolution, based on the actual meter size, except when oversized for fire flows, as described in Section 13.03.230.C, in which case the rates shall be based on the calculated meter size to adequately meet domestic demand as described in Section 13.03.230.C.
B. Volumetric Service Charge. The volumetric service charges, based on water volume used, are established by resolution.
C. Support of Existing Fire Suppression System. Residents with an oversized one-inch meter connection for the sole purpose of supporting their existing fire suppression systems, who would otherwise be facilitating a three-fourths-inch meter connection, shall be charged at the threefourths-inch equivalent meter size for domestic demand used to calculate the connection fees, as described in Section 13.03.210. charge.
D. Minimum Charges. “Minimum charges” shall be defined as the meter charge and any charge assessed per unit for water service. There shall be no minimum charge for actual water usage.
13.20.060 Testing, inspection, maintenance and repair.
E. Fire System Connection Fee. A one-time connection fee for fire protection service using automatic sprinklers in any building or structure which is installed after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter shall be established by resolution. (Ord. 840 § 6(part), 2013).
13.42.060 Sewer service charges – Standards for calculation.
The city council shall calculate sewer service charges in accordance with the following rules and regulations:
A. The standard utility accounting period shall be a fiscal year commencing July 1st and ending June 30th;
B. The fixed service charge shall be payable by each user on a periodic basis consistent with the corresponding water service billing to the same premises; C. Volume Factor. Sewer service charges shall be based upon the estimated actual use of the city sewerage system by the premises or user(s) (herein referred to as the “volume factor”). The volume factor shall be reevaluated using methodology determined by the city prior to the September billing period each year. For residential services that do not yet have a representative volume factor, an average per capita volume shall be used as an estimate of the volume factor, which shall be periodically updated by the city council through resolution; D. Residential Customers without Separate Irrigation Meters. Sewer service charges shall be based on the actual water use, but no more than the volume factor; E. All Other Customers. Sewer service charges for all other services shall be based on the metered water consumption from all sources except those sources that are not discharged to the city sewer, as determined by the city engineer;
F. Additional charges to nonresidential users and industrial users will be assessed for sewage strengths exceeding those of residential users and shall be based on the pounds of BOD suspended solids and any other applicable waste loadings discharged to the city sewer each billing period determined in accordance with Chapter 13.43. In the event that commercial or industrial users have a type of discharge or strength of discharge that is greater or more burdensome on the system than residential sewage discharge, rates will be adjusted accordingly and at the discretion of the city manager. The volume discharge rate for industrial and commercial users shall be applied against the average annual water used or on the actual month-to-month usage; G. Support of Existing Fire Suppression System. Residents with a one-inch meter connection for the sole purpose of supporting their existing fire suppression systems who would otherwise be facilitating a three-quarter-inch meter connection shall be charged at the three-quarter-inch sewer charge.
Special charges may be made to reimburse the city for abnormal costs incurred because of other pollutants in the waste water. All rates including those for seasonal industries shall include in their capital related element the costs of allocated capacity service in the subregional system. (Ord. 901 § 2, 2021; Ord. 891 § 2(part), 2020: Ord. 841 § 3, 2013; Ord. 462 § 2(part), 1988). 5384136.1