Sec. 7-258. Delinquent charge for connection or use. Lien. Assignment of liens. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 7-258. Delinquent charge for connection or use. Lien. Assignment of liens. (a) Any charge for connection with or for the use of a sewerage system, not paid within thirty days of the due date, shall thereupon be delinquent and shall bear interest from the due date at the rate and in the manner provided by the general statutes for delinquent property taxes. Each addition of interest shall be collectible as a part of such connection or use charge. Any such unpaid connection or use charge shall constitute a lien upon the real estate against which such charge was levied from the date it became delinquent. Each such lien may be continued, recorded and released in the manner provided by the general statutes for continuing, recording and releasing property tax liens. Each such lien shall take precedence over all other liens and encumbrances except taxes and may be foreclosed in the same manner as a lien for property taxes. The municipality may by ordinance designate the tax collector or any other person as collector of sewerage system connection and use charges and such collector of sewerage system connection and use charges may collect such charges in accordance with the provisions of the general statutes for the collection of property taxes. The municipality may recover any such charges in a civil action against any person liable therefor. For the purpose of establishing or revising such connection or use charges and for the purpose of collecting such charges any municipality may enter into agreements with any water company or municipal water department furnishing water in such municipality for the purchase from such water company or municipal water department of information or services and such agreement may designate such water company or municipal water department as a billing or collecting agent of the collector of sewerage system connection and use charges in the municipality. Any water company or municipal water department may enter into and fulfill any such agreements and may utilize for the collection of such charges any of the methods utilized by it for the collection of its water charges.

      (b) Any municipality, by resolution of its legislative body, may assign, for consideration, any and all liens filed by the tax collector or collector of sewerage system connection and use charges to secure unpaid sewerage connection and use charges as provided under the provisions of this chapter. The consideration received by the municipality shall be negotiated between the municipality and the assignee. The assignee or assignees of such liens shall have and possess the same powers and rights at law or in equity as such municipality and municipality's tax collector would have had if the lien had not been assigned with regard to the precedence and priority of such lien, the accrual of interest and the fees and expenses of collection. The assignee shall have the same rights to enforce such liens as any private party holding a lien on real property, including, but not limited to, foreclosure and a suit on the debt. Costs and reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by the assignee as a result of any foreclosure action or other legal proceeding brought pursuant to this section and directly related to the proceeding shall be taxed in any such proceeding against each person having title to any property subject to the proceedings. Such costs and fees may be collected by the assignee at any time after demand for payment has been made by the assignee.

      (1949 Rev., S. 745; 1949, S. 325d; P.A. 99-283, S. 3, 10.)

      History: P.A. 99-283 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and added new Subsec. (b) re assignment of liens, effective July 1, 1999.

      See chapter 205 re municipal tax liens generally.