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Exh 8DAGENDA ITEM #8D MAY 9, 2005 CITY OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY COMMISSION MEETING STAFF REPORT AGENDA ITEM: Sewer Tap Costs and Related Issue Raised by Septic Tank Owners SUBMITTED BY: Jim Hanso DATE; May 2, 2005 BACKGROUND: At the last city commission meeting, a group of septic tank owners, mostly from 17`i' Street, brought several questions to the City Commission about the City Code and policies related to the conversion of septic tanks to the city's sewer system and asked the Commission for assistance in reducing their costs for taps. This report is to provide answers to their questions and other information. • How many units can he put on one sewer tap? Restrictions on the number of units that can be placed in one sewer tap are included in . the State Plumbing Code which dictates the maximum number of fixture units that can be connected to any particular size drain line. Each plumbing fixture (i.e. sinks, showers, etc) is given a fixture unit number and the total number of fixture units that can go to any size drain are listed in a chart. Therefore the State requirement for the number of units that can be put into one tap depends on how many plumbing fixtures each unit has. The city's rule of thumb for two units per tap is a simplified way of enforcing the State Plumbing Code, but also comes from a more practical criteria. The drain lines from any house or residential unit connecting to the city's sewer should be on their own property, and not on a neighbor's property. There have been recent news stories in other beach cities about problems related to drain lines crossing property that is not owned by that resident. The best way to "split" a tap is to run each drain Line along a common property line to meet in a "Y" on public right-of--way. • Applying this more practical standazd to the residents that addressed the City Commission at the last meeting, each of them • ~ can connect at least two residential units per tap except one. Three of the residents cannot split their taps with other owners, but two of those have duplex units on their property. The tap costs on 17~' Street have been estimated at $5,000 each and the tap cost for the • ~ owner on Beach Av. has been estimated to cost $3,570. The AGENDA ITEM #SD MAY 9, 2005 following list shows the owners, their Lot frontage, the use of the lot (single family or duplex) and their tap cost (1/2 if split with another owner). Last Name Fronta a Usa a Ta Cost Notes Rogers 50' Duplex $5,000 Cannot split with another owner Byrod 50' Du lex $2,500 Can split with Parish Parish SO' Sin le $2,500 Cans lit with B od Bell 100 Duplex $5,000 Unable to split with another owner Griffith 50' Single $2,500 Cans lit with Allen Allen 50' Single $2,500 Cans lit with Griffith Boyer 50' Single $3,570 Cannot split with another owner ` " Can/should the City treat these owners like others who were assessed? The City has issued three sets of assessments to different groups of owners in Atlantic Beach for the installation of water and sewer facilities. ' ' In each case, groups approached the city requesting that water and sewer lines be installed. The city installed sewer taps with those lines anticipating that the owners would connect to the sewer system. The cost ' " of the Ocean Grove assessments amounted to $48.31 per lineal foot and cost for the Beach Avenue assessment was $34.05 per lineal foot. The group of residents that approached the Commission at the last meeting J were not included in any of these assessments because the Lines in front of their homes were installed by private developers who were extending service to other lots that they were developing. These were installed " before the State law requiring connection to the public sewer system and the developers did not install taps for the other houses that they passed along the way. The residents that are converting now from septic tanks to the city's sewer system have never paid a city assessment for water and sewer lines. If they had been paying the same assessments as their closest neighbors, then the 17`h Street group would probably be included in the Ocean Grove assessments and the cost fora 50-foot front lot would be $2,415. The Beach Avenue resident would have been charged $1,702 under the Beach Avenue assessment process. The city's policy for septic tank conversion allows for financing at a very low interest rate and, if the ' ~ residents on 17~' Street or Beach Avenue wanted to finance their tap cost, then you could compare their tap costs estimated in the table above with the cost that their neighbors are paying under city assessments. As you ' ' can see, the cost would be about the same for most of the residents, but considerably more for two (note the Bells under the Ocean Grove assessment process with a 100 foot Lot would have been assessed $4,830 AGENDA ITEM #8D MAY 9, 2005 compared to an estimated tap cost of $5,000. All other lots have a 50 foot frontage). Can a d~lex be rebuilt in its current ootprint? Yes, the City Code allows for the reconstruction of any legally built duplex within its current footprint even if the zoning has been changed and a duplex is now considered a nonconforming use. After speaking with the owner that raised the question at the last commission meeting, it was determined that her situation is more complicated and the resident has been referred to Community Developer Director, Sonya Doerr. Canlshould the City waive the i~act~ee to aid these residents in their septic to sewer conversion? The City Code and Bond Covenants designate the tap and impact fees as restricted revenues to be used only for improvements to the system. If the commission wants to provide some financial relief to these residents, other avenues should be considered. A list of applicable City Code provisions is attached for your reference. BUDGET: RECOMMENDATION: ATTACIiMENTS: No specific changes to the city's policies for tap or impact fees are proposed. The Mayor and Commission should determine it the present city code and policies relating to the septic to sewer conversion process are fair and equitable both to the people that are converting at this time as well as to other city water and sewer customers. If not, then the City Commission should direct staffon how to change those policies. Code Provisions Relating to Sewer Taps and Impact Fees AGENDA ITEM #8D MAY 9, 2005 - Atlantic Beach Code Provisions . Relating to Sewer Taps and Impact Fees • Sec. 22-101. Costs and expenses; indemnification of city against loss, etc. All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be ' borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly • or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer. • Sec. 22-104. Separate building sewer for each building; exception. A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building, except where one (1) building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard, or driveway, the ' sewer for the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one (1) building sewer, but the city does not and will not assume any obligation or responsibility for damage caused by or resulting from any such single connection aforementioned. Sec. 22-169. Connection fees. Charges for providing and approving connections to the sewer system with installation performed by the city are as follows and shall be in addition to impact fees. ' All units: Cost for labor and materials as provided in section 2-368 of the City Code. • Sec. 22-170. Impact fees. The fee for providing facilities for new connections and capacity increases for growth shall be as follows: Residences, per unit ... $ 1,250.00 Commercial: Office buildings, per 100 square feet ...40.00 Groceries, per 100 square feet ...20.00 Retail shops, per restroom ...1,260.00 Theatres, per seat ...16.00 Restaurants, per seat ...160.00 . Service stations, per restroom ...3,150.00 Car wash, self-service, per stall ...1,850.00 • Car wash, roll-over ...11,850.00 Car wash tunnel ...17,750.00 ` ' Beauty shops/barber shops, per chair ...630.00 • Laundromats, per machine ...790.00 Hotels/motels, per restroom ...475.00 Sec. 22-171. Payment of connection fees and impact fees. • Payment of connection fees shall be due and payable prior to the issuance of a building permit. For new and existing buildings or structures, the city manager may allow payment of fees on an ` ~ extended payment plan for up to fifteen (15) years if the owner has demonstrated to the • satisfaction of the city manager that the lump sum payment will constitute a hardship to the applicant. A lien for the amount due shall be executed in recordable farm reflecting the payment .. schedule. Upon all payments being made in full, a release of lien shall be recorded. Sec. 22-172. Disposition of impact fees. , All revenues collected by the city through sewer impact fees shall be held in a special account to ' ~ be known as the wastewater system capital improvement account. The money deposited and r held in said account and all interests accrued thereto shall be used only for the improvement, expansion, and/or replacement of the wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal system of • the city.