§ 32-68. Standard rate structure required for billing of water and sewer service.

(a)

On or before October 1, 1986, each public utility as defined in Section 32-4 may adopt and put into use a standard rate structure, as defined herein, for the purpose of billing retail customers for water and sewer service.

(b)

Standard rate structure shall comprise the following components:

(1)

Base facility charge to recover the utility's cost associated with readiness to serve the demand on the system created by each customer. The base facility charge shall be billed at a fixed rate at the regular billing cycle and shall be estimated to recover the fixed cost of providing the customer with his maximum month's usage. The monthly billing unit for the base facility charge shall be ten thousand (10,000) gallons, considered as an equivalent residential connection (ERC) or such other gallonage criteria that is historically appropriate for that utility. The charge shall be prorated for the number of days of service provided during the billing cycle.

(2)

Customer charge to recover the utility's costs related to such cost components as meter reading, accounting, billing, collections, etc., which shall be billed as a separate item on each invoice issued by the utility or in combination with the base facility charge in paragraph (1) above. This charge shall be a fixed equal amount on each bill issued by the utility.

(3)

Commodity charge to recover the utility's costs associated with the pumping and treatment of water and/or sewage including cost of water purchased and sewage disposal fees payable to Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Authority.

(c)

(1)
This standardization of rate structure shall not constitute a change in rates contemplated in Section 32-64 herein. Accordingly, any rate changes arising by virtue of this section may become effective without written notice to customers, public hearing, or a statement of approved water or sewer service generally required from the Environmental Quality Control Board.

(2)

Ninety (90) days prior to the proposed effective date of any change in rates resulting from this section, each utility shall file with the Metropolitan Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Board a schedule of the proposed rates, together with a sworn statement that the annual revenues to be generated by the proposed rate subject to the Board's jurisdiction will not exceed a five (5) percent variance from the annual revenues at the then prevailing rate under the Board's jurisdiction.

(3)

This section does not contemplate and shall not constitute any additional revenue source. Any change in rates under the Board's jurisdiction producing additional revenues shall conform with the provisions of Sections 32-64 and 32-65.

(4)

This section shall not increase the existing regulatory provisions of Section 32-66, Miami-Dade County Code, and does not in any way supersede any existing municipal or County ordinances except such ordinance that may establish rates which do not conform to the standard rate structure mandated by this section of the Code.

(c)

Any municipally owned or operated system servicing no more than two thousand five hundred (2,500) customers within its municipal boundaries shall be exempt from the requirements of this section.

(Ord. No. 84-9, § 1, 2-7-84; Ord. No. 86-21, § 1, 3-18-86; Ord. No. 86-63, § 1, 9-16-86)