Public notice: City of Manchester

Manchester City Hall, 912 City Road

 CITY OF MANCHESTER WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN ORDINANCE No. 14 

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CITY OF MANCHESTER’S WATER AND SEWER TAP-IN FEE ESTABLISHMENT AND USER CONNECTION TO SUCH MAINS 

THE CITY OF MANCHESTER, WASHTENAW COUNTY, MICHIGAN, HEREBY ORDAINS: 

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT TO 50.03 (C) (1) OF THE MANCHESTER CODE OF ORDINANCES 

(A) Tap-in fee. The fee for connecting to the water system shall be determined by City Council from time to time. 

The fee shall include the following: 

1. Connection to the water main based on the customer’s REUs as determined by the City’s Table of Equivalent Units Factors. The tap-in fee shall be the cost of the customer’s buy-in into the system based upon the depreciated value of the City’s water system divided by the number of REUs of the entire system. The number obtained from that division is the tap-in fee for one (1) REU. If it’s determined that the connection will add more than one (1) REU to the system, then the number obtained from the division shall be multiplied by the additional numbers of REU that the customer will add to the water system. The cost is reviewed based on the previous fiscal year audit and is revised each January;
2. 2. Permit fees as established from time to time by the City;
3. Any others as the City may deem necessary to carry out the requirements contained herein; 
4. No fee is required for emergency or nonemergency replacement or repair of any existing tap-in of a same size; 
5. The applicant shall be responsible for the cost of all material and construction for the tap-in, including the water line from tap-in to the premises, excavation, site restoration, seeding, mulching, resurfacing of the roadway, sidewalk replacement, the water meter with installation hardware, and other outlays related to the water connection. Charges will vary according to size. All contracted labor must be performed in accordance with applicable safety regulations. A performance bond is required with the City for any excavation in the street and right-of-way to ensure that both are restored. Arrangements can be made with the Department of Public Works in cooperation with City Clerk for assistance in fulfilling these responsibilities; and
6. Construction to and from the home including the connection to the water main shall be paid for separately to a qualified contractor that has been pre-qualified to do water work within the City based on a policy set forth by the City Council.

SECTION 2. AMENDMENT TO 51.28 (A) OF THE MANCHESTER CODE OF ORDINANCES 

(A) Tap-in fee. The fee for connecting to the sewer system shall be determined by City Council from time to time. 

The fee shall include the following: 

1. Connection to the sewer main based on the customer’s REUs as determined by the City’s Table of Equivalent Units Factors. The tap-in fee shall be the cost of the customer’s buy-in into the system based upon the depreciated value of the City’s sewer system divided by the number of REUs of the entire system. The number obtained from that division is the tap-in fee for one (1) REU. If it’s determined that the connection will add more than one (1) REU to the system, then the number obtained from the division shall be multiplied by the additional numbers of REU that the customer will add to the sewer system. The cost is reviewed based on the previous fiscal year audit and is revised each January;
2. Permit fees as established from time to time by the City;
3. Any others as the City may deem necessary to carry out the requirements contained herein; 
4. No fee is required for emergency or nonemergency replacement or repair of any existing tap-in of a same size; 
5. The applicant shall be responsible for the cost of all material and construction for the tap-in, including the sewer line from tap-in to the premises, excavation, site restoration, seeding, mulching, resurfacing of the roadway, sidewalk replacement, the water meter with installation hardware, and other outlays related to the water connection. Charges will vary according to size. All contracted labor must be performed in accordance with applicable safety regulations. A performance bond is required with the City for any excavation in the street and right-of-way to ensure that both are restored. Arrangements can be made with the Department of Public  Works in cooperation with City Clerk for assistance in fulfilling these responsibilities; and
6. Construction to and from the home including the connection to the sewer main shall be paid for separately to a qualified contractor that has been pre-qualified to do sewer work within the City based on a policy set forth by the City Council.

SECTION 3. REPEAL OF CONFLICTING PROVISIONS 

All other City ordinances, City Council resolutions, and parts thereof that conflict with the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed and shall be of no further force or effect. 

SECTION 4. SEVERABILITY If any section, paragraph, clause, or provision of this Ordinance shall be held invalid, the invalidity of such section, paragraph, clause, or provision shall not affect any of the other provisions of this Ordinance. 

SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE The City Clerk shall cause this Ordinance, or a synopsis of this Ordinance, to be published in the manner required by law within fifteen (15) days after it has been duly adopted by the City Council. The effective date shall be the 20th day after the date of publication. 

Adopted: 10/06/2025

Published: 10/15/2025

Effective: 11/4/2025 

CERTIFICATION 

I, Brittany Kuhnle, am the Clerk for the City of Manchester and certify that the above Ordinance was offered by member Dresch and supported by member Woods and the following council members voted: 

AYE: Chartrand, Dresch, Harvey, LaRocque, Way, Woods, Vailliencourt NAY: None ABSTAINED OR ABSENT: None 

Further, this Ordinance, or a synopsis of this Ordinance, was published in the Manchester Mirror, a newspaper circulated in the City of Manchester on October 15, 2025. 

_______________________________ 

Brittany Kuhnle, City Clerk 

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Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.