§ 47-64. Service charges for unmetered connection for fire sprinkling systems.  


Latest version.
  • (a)

    Each person with an unmetered connection serving a fire sprinkler system under the provisions of subsection (b) of section 47-4 of this Code shall pay the monthly service charge stated for this provision in the city fee schedule for the corresponding size of the diameter of each unmetered sprinkler service line connected to the city's water main. The charge for a fire line with a city approved backflow prevention device with a bypass meter will be the same as for unmetered fire lines.

    (b)

    Billing for charges made under this section shall be made on a monthly basis. Payment shall be due and made in accordance with the provisions of this Code, and payment of such charges shall be enforced by any and all means available to the city under other provisions of this Code, including termination of service.

    (c)

    The department may supply water for private fire suppression systems if in the opinion of the utility official the connection will not cause appreciable reduction in the pressure of the city's water system. The director shall determine all conditions necessary for connecting such private fire protection to the city's water system to ensure the safety of the public water system. The cost for a city employee to participate in or witness any test of a fire suppression system as required by this Code or any other ordinance of the city is stated for this provision in the city fee schedule.

(Code 1968, § 49-55; Ord. No. 83-19, § 7, 1-11-83; Ord. No. 86-1663, § 5, 9-17-86; Ord. No. 88-1194, § 3, 7-6-88; Ord. No. 89-1048, § 3, 7-5-89; Ord. No. 90-861, § 10, 7-11-90; Ord. No. 92-113, § 3, 2-5-92; Ord. No. 02-926, § 6, 10-2-02; Ord. No. 03-332, § 5, 4-2-03; Ord. No. 04-297, eff. 4-1-07; Ord. No. 04-299, § 5.2, 4-21-04; Ord. No. 07-599, § 21, 5-16-07; Ord. No. 09-206, § 3, 3-11-09, eff. 4-1-09; Ord. No. 2010-305, § 3, 4-21-2010, eff. 6-1-2010; Ord. No. 2011-1086, § 2, 12-7-2011; Ord. No. 2011-1168, § 13, 12-14-2011)

Editor's note

Ordinance No. 2010-305, passed April 21, 2010, requires the annual adjustment of water and sewer rates each year on the first of April. The adjustment is usually based on the change in the U.S. Producers Price Index for all commodities as reported annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In years when an increase based on the Producers Price Index would exceed the amount allowed by Article IX Section 20 of the City Charter, the adjustment will be based on the changes in the Annual U.S. Census Houston Population Index and the U.S. Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers for the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Texas Metropolitan Area. The city's published rates for each year are rounded down to the nearest cent but the annual adjustment for each year is calculated to the nearest one-thousandth of a cent ($0.00001). A fractional portion of the rate adjustment (less than one cent) may not appear in one year's published rates but may appear in the next year's published rates because the rate calculation retains more decimals than the published rates.