Effective 28 Aug 2011

67.319. Water service lines, repair programs, municipalities and certain districts — fee imposed — ballot language — administration — fee added to general tax levy bill, when. — 1. If approved by a majority of the voters voting on the proposal, any city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district located within this state may, by ordinance, levy and impose annually upon water service lines providing water service to residential property having four or fewer dwelling units within the jurisdiction of such city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district a fee not to exceed one dollar per month or twelve dollars annually.

2. The ballot of submission shall be in substantially the following form:

3. For the purpose of this section, a water service line may be defined by local ordinance, but may not include the water meter or exceed that portion of water piping and related valves and connectors which extends from the water mains owned by the utility or municipality distributing public water supply to the first opportunity for a connection or joint beyond the point of entry into the premises receiving water service, and may not include facilities owned by the utility or municipality distributing public water supply. For purposes of this section, repair may be defined and limited by local ordinance, and may include replacement or repairs.

4. If a majority of the voters voting thereon approve the proposal authorized in subsection 1 of this section, the governing body of the city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district may enact an ordinance for the collection of such fee. The funds collected under such ordinance shall be deposited in a special account to be used solely for the purpose of paying for the reasonable costs associated with and necessary to administer and carry out the water service line repairs as defined in the ordinance and to reimburse the necessary costs of water service line repair or replacement. All interest generated on deposited funds shall be accrued to the special account established for the repair of water service lines.

5. The city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district may establish, as provided in the ordinance, regulations necessary for the administration of collections, claims, repairs, replacements and all other activities necessary and convenient for the implementation of any ordinance adopted and approved under this section. The city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district may administer the program or may contract with one or more persons, through a competitive process, to provide for administration of any portion of implementation activities of any ordinance adopted and approved under this section, and reasonable costs of administering the program may be paid from the special account established under this section.

6. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the collector in any city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district or county that adopts an ordinance under this section, who now or hereafter collects any fee to provide for, ensure or guarantee the repair of water service lines, may add such fee to the general tax levy bills of property owners within the city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district or unincorporated area of the county. All revenues received on such combined bill which are for the purpose of providing for, ensuring or guaranteeing the repair of water service lines shall be separated from all other revenues so collected and credited to the appropriate fund or account of the city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district or county. The collector of the city, town, village, sewer district, or water supply district or county may collect such fee in the same manner and to the same extent as the collector now or hereafter may collect delinquent real estate taxes and tax bills.

­­--------

(L. 2011 H.B. 142)