§ 24-213. Multiple users defined.

All water or sewer capacity expansion charges levied in the form of a fee collected at the time of the connection, to serve multiple-dwelling units, such as apartment houses, duplex apartments, office buildings, hotels, motels, mobile home parks and other buildings occupied by more than one commercial tenant such as stores within shopping centers and all other multiple-use establishments, shall pay the amount as fixed in Appendix A—User Charge Tables for Okaloosa County Water and Sewer User Charge Ordinance for each equivalent residential unit (ERU).

(1)

The board does hereby officially find and declare by this article that all such charges are necessary to partially defray the cost of providing a trunk water and/or sewer capacity sufficient to provide adequate water and/or sewer service for units involved.

(2)

When any applicant requests authorization to connect to a sewer line or water line of the board for service to a multiple unit connection, or subdivision, such applicant shall file a certified statement showing the number of units within each multiple dwelling, apartment house, multiplex apartment, office building, hotel, motel, or other multiple-unit structure. The applicant must execute the necessary agreements and make available to the engineers for the board, all plans and specifications covering the construction of the improvements which will use the sewer and/or water service system of the board through the connection applied for. The engineers for the board shall determine the number of appropriate ERUs based on number of multiple units and the appropriate meter and/or connection size required to adequately serve the connection.

(3)

In the event any applicant requesting authorization to connect to the sewer system or water system of the board incorrectly states, or misrepresents the facts to the board in giving the information required in the application, an additional and further charge for each ERU is hereby fixed at 100 percent of the amount set forth above and levied as a penalty for failure to comply herewith.

(4)

In the event subsequent additional demand is placed upon the system capacity by an existing customer, additional charges shall apply as shown in the aforementioned Appendix A.

(5)

The board does hereby officially find and declare that a substantial part of providing water and sewer service is the cost of the large water and sewer mains and wastewater treatment plants and the charge for connections to such lines is in fact a charge which is levied to partially pay for the cost of the infrastructure.

(6)

In the event any application is made for the right to connect to the sewer or water system of the board, and payment for the permit is made after the date of this article, and a permit issued by the board, the board assumes no liability if there is no water line or sewer line then available and accessible to the location. Service may be provided at such future time as the board may determine.

Each applicant must determine the location of the existing, proposed, available, or accessible sewer line or water line prior to making such application and must advise the board of this location at the time of application.

(7)

The board does hereby officially find and declare that a substantial part of providing water and sewer service is the cost of the large water and sewer mains and wastewater treatment plants and the charge for connections to such lines is in fact a charge which is levied to partially pay for those costs. Multiple-unit customers are an additional burden on the capacity of the water or sewer lines, and the capacity of the wastewater treatment plants, and an increase in charges must be levied against any user, based on the extent of such use.

( Ord. No. 16-16 , § 1, 9-6-16)