23-3635. Application for connection; county clerk; duties; public hearing; notice; approval by city or village; criteria.

When the county receives an application from an owner of a lot proposed for residential use or a structure used for any residential purpose requesting connection of the lot or structure to a sewerage disposal system and plant or plants constructed pursuant to the County Industrial Sewer Construction Act, the county clerk shall, within five days after receipt of such application, provide a copy of such application to the city or village within whose area of future growth and development the lot or structure is located. The city or village governing body shall set a date for a public hearing on the application not sooner than fifteen days after receipt of the application. The owner of the lot or structure shall be notified by first-class United States mail of the date of the hearing. Within fourteen days after the hearing, the governing body of the city or village shall vote in open public session on whether to recommend that the county approve or disapprove the application. The county shall not authorize the connection of the lot or structure to the county sewerage disposal system and plant or plants without a recommendation of approval by a majority of the elected members of the governing body of the city or village. The determination by the city or village governing body as to whether or not to recommend approval of the application for connection to the sewerage disposal system and plant or plants of the county shall be based on the following criteria:

(1) Whether the subdivision, of which the lot or structure for which the connection is sought is part, is or will be developed in a location and in a manner in conformity with the comprehensive development plan of the city or village and the county;

(2) Whether the county has developed appropriate plans and procedures to ensure that the development of the subdivision proceeds in a fashion consistent with the standards established by the city or village for development within its area of jurisdiction for platting and zoning purposes;

(3) Whether the subdivision, of which the lot or structure for which the connection is sought is part, has been developed in a manner consistent with properly adopted county standards and whether the plans for the proposed structure or the structure, if built, are in accordance with appropriate county building codes;

(4) Whether the sewerage disposal system and plant or plants has sufficient capacity to serve the applicant for connection in light of current and projected future needs for commercial and industrial users;

(5) Whether the additional connection to the sewerage disposal system and plant or plants will impact positively or negatively on the financial status of the system, including its debt structure, cash flow, and operational and maintenance financing requirements;

(6) Whether the use of septic tanks or any other practical alternative form of sewerage disposal in the subdivision or the lot is feasible or will pose present or future threats to public health and safety and the purity of local water supplies used for human consumption or recreational purposes;

(7) Whether the county has developed or adopted appropriate and adequate rules and regulations governing the sewerage disposal system and plant or plants and procedures to enforce the same so as to ensure the safe, sanitary, and environmentally sound connection of lots or structures to the county sewerage disposal system and plant or plants and whether it has developed procedures to maintain such standards during its operations; and

(8) Whether all appropriate state and federal statutes, rules, and regulations have been complied with prior to the application for the connection to the county sewerage disposal system and plant or plants.

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