Bill > S2481

This bill authorizes the Town of Salisbury's sewer commissioners, who are defined as the Board of Selectmen or any other board in charge of sewer maintenance, to assess 100 percent of the cost of sewer projects to the properties that benefit from them, unless the town meeting decides on a different percentage for specific projects. It allows these commissioners to use betterment assessments, which are charges for improvements to property, or privilege fees, which are charges for the right to connect to a sewer system, by employing a "uniform unit method." This method calculates costs based on potential units for undeveloped land according to zoning and for developed land based on existing use or zoning. The bill also permits privilege fees to be assessed on properties that later connect to a project or if a property's sewage flow increases due to new construction or changes in use, even if they were previously assessed. Furthermore, Salisbury can decide at town meetings, before assessments are billed, to use different assessment methods for specific sewer projects, even if a different method was used for initial estimates.