The board of county commissioners is hereby authorized and empowered to supervise
and control the methods and means of providing public water systems and sewer systems
by any person within the county and outside the corporate limits of any municipality
as the board of county commissioners deems advisable; to grant franchises in unincorporated
communities in the county to persons applying therefor for the purpose of installing,
operating and maintaining a public water system or sewer system and to provide that
such franchises may be exclusive or nonexclusive for a uniform or equal term of years
as the board of county commissioners may deem to be in the public interest, and to
fix reasonable rates and fees to be charged the users of such water and/or sewage
facilities and to establish such reasonable rules and regulations including those
of procedure not in conflict with any provisions herein, as the board of county commissioners
may deem necessary to protect the public health and general welfare of the inhabitants
of the county, to provide for the inspection of such water and sewage facilities and
to issue such orders as the board of county commissioners deems necessary and proper
to correct any improper conditions as may be found to exist; to prescribe such requirements
relative to the use to public water and sewage facilities in unincorporated communities
as the board of county commissioners may deem necessary in the protection of the public
health and welfare of the users of such facilities, including the specific authority
to adopt reasonable rules and regulations for water and sewer requirements which must
be complied with before a nonfranchised person may furnish public water or sewer services,
and to provide and require that no sewer or water systems shall be installed within
the county outside the corporate limits of any municipality, without first securing
from the board of county commissioners a permit so to do and paying to the county
a fee therefor as the board of county commissioners may determine to be reasonable
and proper under the circumstances.
