14.06.060 Exemptions and Appeals
A. Any person who wishes to be exempted from a restriction imposed by any water curtailment stage shall request an exemption in writing on forms provided by the City and file the request for exemption in writing with the Utility Billing Office.
B. Requests will be reviewed after a water audit is conducted by the City and a determination made by the Conservation Analyst as to the validity of the request for an exemption. No exemptions will be considered until the City has conducted a water audit.
C. Exemptions may be granted for the following:
1. Any person with substantial medical requirements as prescribed in writing by a physician. Examples would be hydrotherapy pools or life support systems.
2. Residential connections with more than four permanent residents in a single-family residence or three permanent residents per unit in a multifamily dwelling can receive up to 350 cf per month per additional permanent resident. A census may be conducted to determine the actual number of permanent residents per living unit. Temporary or drop-in guests will not be considered for additional allocations.
3. For commercial or industrial accounts where water supply reductions will result in unemployment or decrease production, after confirmation by the City that the account has instituted all applicable water efficiency improvements.
4. For any other reason upon showing of good cause and where necessary for public health or safety.
5. For commercial accounts where water meter is undersized (as determined under the Uniform Plumbing Code) for the current occupancy, the allocation for such accounts may be increased up to the allocation for the water meter size designated for such occupancy in the Uniform Plumbing Code.
D. Exemptions will not be allowed for steam cleaning or similar uses of water. The amount allocated for any given customer will include such uses and no additional allocation will be allowed.
E. The Conservation Analyst shall report to the Director of Public Works the findings and conclusions resulting from the review. The Director shall approve or deny the request for exemptions and may impose conditions. Such conditions may include the amount volume restrictions may be exceeded and that all applicable plumbing fixtures or irrigation systems be replaced or modified for maximum water conservation. If the Director and the applicant are unable to reach accord on the exemption, or if the applicant is dissatisfied with the decision, the applicant may appeal to the City Manager in writing. The City Manager will make the final determination.
F. Except for an exemption granted under subsections C.1, C.2 and C.5 of this section, the water consumption surcharge specified in AMC 14.06.080 shall apply to all exemptions. (Ord. 3192 § 111, amended, 11/17/2020; Ord. 3011, amended, 05/04/2010; Ord. 2869, amended, 05/15/2001)