§ 70-471. Installment payment of certain water meters.

(a)

Authorized; pledge of real property and execution of promissory note. The payment for setting a five-eighths-inch water meter may be paid in installments upon execution of a promissory note and the pledge as security of the real property served by the property owner. Such note shall be payable in monthly installments of at least $5.00, including interest, or annual installments of at least $60.00, including interest. The maximum term of such notes shall be five years, and notes shall bear interest on the unpaid balance in an amount equal to the greater of the maximum rate permitted under the provisions of F.S. § 170.09, or eight percent per annum. The lien against the real property shall be of equal dignity to a special assessment made as provided by law and to municipal taxes, and shall be endorsed in the same manner. The owner of the property and all interested parties shall consent to the pledge prior to connecting to the city water system, shall pay the recording fee of the lien, and shall pay a service charge of $25.00.

(b)

Extension policy; amount of connection charge. All applications for connection to water or sewer lines and the payment for such connections under the lien provisions and promissory note provided for in this section shall be subject to provisions of the water and sewer line extension policies of the city. The connection charge, if any, for utilization of sewer or water service shall be in an amount established by the city council.

(c)

Form of agreement and lien. All agreements pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be subject to the approval of the city attorney as to form, with liens against real property being executed in a manner permitting the recording of such liens by the city clerk in the public records of the county.

(d)

Intent and applicability. It is declared to be the intent of this section to provide for an alternative method of securing the payment of charges for the setting of a five-eighths-inch water meter serving only existing single-family residences which are owner-occupied, and this section shall not be deemed to repeal any ordinances relating to special assessments or subdivision regulations requiring developers to install such water and sewer lines without cost to the city. This section shall not be deemed to modify any existing contract between the city and a developer for the installation of sewer and water lines. For the purposes of this section, existing single-family residences shall be defined as those single-family residences for which certificates of occupancy were issued by the city building official on or before February 21, 1984.

(Code 1961, § 21-5.4; Code 1985, § 24-3; Ord. No. 1632, § 1, 2-21-84; Ord. No. 2010-56, § 3, 6-15-10)

Editor's note

Ord. No. 2010-56, § 3, adopted June 15, 2010, renamed § 70-471 from "Installment payment of water and sewer connection charges" to "Installment payment of certain water meters."