Sec. 11. (a) In connection with its duties, the board may fix fees for the treatment and disposal of sewage and other waste discharged into the sewerage system, collect the fees, and establish and enforce rules governing the furnishing of and payment for sewage treatment and disposal service. The fees must be just and equitable and shall be paid by any user of the sewage works and, except as otherwise provided in an ordinance provision described in subsection (l), the owner of every lot, parcel of real property, or building that is connected with and uses the sewage works of the district by or through any part of the sewerage system. This section applies to owners of property that is partially or wholly exempt from taxation, as well as owners of property subject to full taxation.

     (b) The board may change fees from time to time. The fees, together with the taxes levied under this chapter, must at all times be sufficient to produce revenues sufficient to pay operation, maintenance, and administrative expenses, to pay the principal and interest on bonds as they become due and payable, and to provide money for the revolving fund authorized by this chapter.

     (c) Fees may not be established until a public hearing has been held at which all the users of the sewage works and owners of property served or to be served by the works, including interested parties, have had an opportunity to be heard concerning the proposed fees. After introduction of the resolution fixing fees, and before they are finally adopted, notice of the hearing setting forth the proposed schedule of fees shall be given by publication in accordance with IC 5-3-1. After the hearing the resolution establishing fees, either as originally introduced or as amended, shall be passed and put into effect. However, fees related to property that is subject to full taxation do not take effect until they have been approved by ordinance of the municipal legislative body or, in the case of a district described in section 3(b)(2) of this chapter, under section 11.3 of this chapter.

     (d) A copy of the schedule of the fees shall be kept on file in the office of the board and must be open to inspection by all interested parties. The fees established for any class of users or property served shall be extended to cover any additional premises thereafter served that fall within the same class, without the necessity of hearing or notice.

     (e) A change of fees may be made in the same manner as fees were originally established. However, if a change is made substantially pro rata for all classes of service, hearing or notice is not required, but approval of the change by ordinance of the municipal legislative body is required, and, in the case of a district described in section 3(b)(2) of this chapter, approval under section 11.3 of this chapter is required.

     (f) If a fee established is not paid within the time fixed by the board, the board may recover, in a civil action in the name of the municipality, the amount, together with a penalty of ten percent (10%) and a reasonable attorney‘s fee from:

(1) the delinquent user; or

(2) the owner of the property;

subject to any ordinance described in subsection (l).

     (g) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (h) or in an ordinance provision described in subsection (l), fees assessed against real property under this section also constitute a lien against the property assessed. The lien attaches at the time of the filing of the notice of lien in the county recorder’s office. The lien is superior to all other liens except tax liens, and shall be enforced and foreclosed in the same manner as is provided for liens under IC 36-9-23-33 and IC 36-9-23-34.

     (h) A fee assessed against real property under this section constitutes a lien against the property assessed only when the fee is delinquent for no more than three (3) years from the day after the fee is due.

     (i) In addition to the:

(1) penalties under subsections (f) and (g); or

(2) alternative penalty available under section 11.5 of this chapter;

a delinquent user may not discharge water into the public sewers and may have the property disconnected from the public sewers.

     (j) The authority to establish a user fee under this section includes fees to recover the cost of construction of sewage works from industrial users as defined and required under federal statute or rule. Any industrial users’ cost recovery fees may become a lien upon the real property and shall be collected in the manner provided by law. In addition, the imposition of the fees, the use of the amounts collected, and the criteria for the fees must be consistent with the regulations of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

     (k) The authority to establish a user fee under this section includes fees to recover the costs associated with providing financial assistance under section 42 of this chapter. A fee that is:

(1) established under this subsection or any other law; and

(2) used to provide financial assistance under section 42 of this chapter;

is considered just and equitable if the project for which the financial assistance is provided otherwise complies with the requirements of this chapter.

     (l) For purposes of this subsection, “municipal legislative body” refers to the legislative body of each municipality in the district, in the case of a district described in section 3(b)(2) of this chapter. This subsection does not apply to a conservancy district established under IC 14-33 for the collection, treatment, and disposal of sewage and other liquid wastes. In an ordinance adopted under this chapter, the municipal legislative body may include one (1) or more of the following provisions with respect to property occupied by someone other than the owner of the property:

(1) That fees for the services rendered by the sewerage system to the property are payable by the person occupying the property. At the option of the municipal legislative body, the ordinance may include any:

(A) requirement for a deposit to ensure payment of the fees by the person occupying the property; or

(B) other requirement to ensure the creditworthiness of the person occupying the property as the account holder or customer with respect to the property;

that the municipal legislative body may lawfully impose.

(2) That the fees for the services rendered by the sewerage system to the property are payable by the person occupying the property if one (1) of the following conditions is satisfied:

(A) Either the property owner or the person occupying the property gives to the board written notice that indicates that the person occupying the property is responsible for paying the fees with respect to the property and requests that the account or other customer or billing records maintained for the property be in the name of the person occupying the property. At the option of the municipal legislative body, the ordinance may provide that a document that:

(i) is executed by the property owner and the person occupying the property;

(ii) identifies the person occupying the property by name; and

(iii) indicates that the person occupying the property is responsible for paying the fees assessed by the board with respect to the property;

serves as written notice for purposes of this clause.

(B) The account or other customer or billing records maintained by the board for the property otherwise indicate that:

(i) the property is occupied by someone other than the owner; and

(ii) the person occupying the property is responsible for paying the fees.

(C) The property owner or the person occupying the property satisfies any other requirements or conditions that the municipal legislative body includes in the ordinance.

(3) That fees assessed against the property for the services rendered by the sewerage system to the property do not constitute a lien against the property, notwithstanding subsection (g), and subject to any requirements or conditions set forth in the ordinance.

This subsection may not be construed to prohibit a municipal legislative body from including in an ordinance adopted under this chapter any other provision that the municipal legislative body considers appropriate.

[Pre-Local Government Recodification Citations: subsection (a) formerly 19-2-6-1 part; 19-2-6-2 part; 19-2-14-4 part; 19-2-20-3 part; 19-2-20-6; subsections (b), (c), (d), (e) formerly 19-2-14-4 part; 19-2-20-3 part; subsection (f) formerly 19-2-14-4 part; 19-2-20-11 part; 19-2-20-12; subsection (g) formerly 19-2-20-11 part; subsection (h) formerly 19-2-20-16.]

As added by Acts 1981, P.L.309, SEC.98. Amended by Acts 1981, P.L.45, SEC.65; Acts 1982, P.L.77, SEC.22; P.L.55-1988, SEC.13; P.L.64-1989, SEC.3; P.L.175-2006, SEC.23; P.L.168-2009, SEC.10; P.L.196-2014, SEC.8; P.L.257-2019, SEC.163.