17-925.01.

Sewers; water utilities; maintenance and repair; tax authorized; service rate in lieu of tax; lien.

The mayor and city council of any city of the second class or the village board of trustees is hereby authorized, after the establishment of a system of sewerage and at the time of levying other taxes for city or village purposes, to levy a tax of not more than three and five-tenths cents on each one hundred dollars upon the taxable value of all the taxable property in such city or village for the purpose of creating a fund to be used for the maintenance and repairing of any sewer or water utilities in such city or village. In lieu of the levy of such tax, the mayor and city council or the village board of trustees may establish by ordinance such rates for such sewer service as may be deemed to be fair and reasonable, to be collected from either the owner or the person, firm, or corporation requesting the services at such times, either monthly, quarterly, or otherwise, as may be specified in the ordinance. All sewer charges shall be a lien upon the premises or real estate for which the same is used or supplied. Such lien shall be enforced in such manner as the city council or village board of trustees provides by ordinance. The charges thus made when collected shall be placed either in a separate fund or in a combined water and sewer fund and used exclusively for the purpose of maintenance and repairs of the sewer system, or the water and sewer system, in such city or village.