The following gas budget plan is hereby adopted to help prevent hardship due to increased gas billings during the winter months:
(A) The plan will start with the gas bills sent to the customer on the first of June of each year.
(B) The plan will use the average cubic feet used per month for the year beginning April 15 of the prior year, and ending April 14 of the year of application. This average usage will be multiplied by the rates in effect for the month billed for. This will allow for changes in the rates over the year. Thus, the budget payment will vary from month to month as the rates go up or down.
(C) A signing-up period will be conducted during the month of May 1986, and thereafter during the month of April of each year. Any gas customer must sign up at this time if they wish to use this plan. No customer will be permitted to sign up at any other time.
(D) Any extraordinary or extreme variation from the average in any month will cause an adjustment in the monthly average usage.
(E) Each May, the average for each customer will be re-figured for the coming year.
(F) The statement sent to the customer will include:
(1) The name and address of the customer.
(2) The date of reading.
(3) Previous and present readings.
(4) Usage.
(5) Actual billing and budget payment.
(6) A request to pay the applicable amount.
(7) The due date.
(G) All customers wishing to sign up must have lived in and been a gas user at his present location for at least 12 months prior to the sign-up month and must not have been delinquent on his utility account during that period.
(I) Any person whose service is cut off for nonpayment thereunder shall be discontinued from the budget plan immediately and shall not be considered for reinstatement to the plan until he or she again qualifies under divisions (C) and (G) above.
(Ord. 81-4, passed 2-26-81; Am. Ord. 86-7, passed 5-17-86)