(a) The board of directors may, by resolution or ordinance, do the following:
(1) Establish rates or other charges for services and facilities that the district provides.
(2) Provide for the collection and enforcement of those rates or other charges.
(3) Among the permissible methods for collection and enforcement are:
(A) To provide that the charges for any of these services and facilities may be collected with the rates or charges for any other services and facilities provided by the district, and that all charges may be billed on the same bill and collected as one item.
(B) To provide that if all or part of a bill is not paid, the district may discontinue any or all services.
(C) To provide for a basic penalty for the nonpayment of charges of not more than 10 percent, plus an additional penalty of not more than 1 percent per month for the nonpayment of the charges and the basic penalty. The board of directors may provide for the collection of these penalties.
(b) The board of directors may provide that any charges and penalties may be collected on the tax roll in the same manner as property taxes. The general manager shall prepare and file with the board of directors a report that describes each affected parcel of real property and the amount of charges and delinquencies for each affected parcel for the year. The general manager shall give notice of the filing of the report and of the time and place for a public hearing by publishing the notice pursuant to Section 6066 in a newspaper of general circulation, and by mailing the notice to the owner of each affected parcel. At the public hearing, the board of directors shall hear and consider any objections or protests to the report. At the conclusion of the public hearing, the board of directors may adopt or revise the charges and penalties. The board of directors shall make its determination on each affected parcel and its determinations shall be final. On or before August 10 of each year following these determinations, the general manager shall file with the county auditor a copy of the final report adopted by the board of directors. The county auditor shall enter the amount of the charges and penalties against each of the affected parcels of real property as they appear on the current assessment roll. The county tax collector shall include the amount of the charges and penalties on the tax bills for each affected parcel of real property and collect the charges and penalties in the same manner as property taxes.
(c) The board of directors may recover any charges and penalties by recording in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the affected parcel is located, a certificate declaring the amount of the charges and penalties due, the name and last known address of the person liable for those charges and penalties. From the time of recordation of the certificate, the amount of the charges and penalties constitutes a lien against all real property of the delinquent property owner in that county. This lien shall have the force, effect, and priority of a judgment lien. Within 30 days of receipt of payment for all amounts due, including the recordation fees paid by the district, the district shall record a release of the lien. In filing any instrument for recordation, the district shall pay the fees required by Article 5 (commencing with Section 27360) of Chapter 6 of Part 3 of Title 3.
(d) A district shall reimburse the county for the reasonable expenses incurred by the county pursuant to this section.
(e) Any remedies for the collection and enforcement of rates or other charges are cumulative and the district may pursue remedies alternatively or consecutively.
(Repealed and added by Stats. 2005, Ch. 249, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2006.)