(A) Billing procedure. City employees shall download water meter readings on or about the last working day of each month.
(1) If the city is unable to obtain the water meter reading via downloading from the “radio read system,” then the city shall investigate why the reading is not being received. If the meter shows signs of tampering, then the city has the right to approximate the reading and may, but is not required to, add an additional “estimation” fee or a tampering fee to the billing (these fees are set by separate resolution).
(2) Water bills shall be mailed to customers on or about the first or second work day of each month.
(3) Regardless of when bills are mailed, all water bills shall be paid on or before the twenty-first day of the month by having payment, in full, in the office of the Finance Officer on or before 4:00 p.m. of said date. If the twenty-first falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, payment shall be due the next succeeding business day.
(4) The twenty-second day of the month, or the next business day, will be called a “day of grace.” Payments made before 4:00 p.m. on the day of grace will be the same as if paid before 4:00 p.m. on the twenty-first.
(5) On the day following the day of grace, there shall be a $10 per month late charge added to each bill remaining unpaid. These bills are now considered past due.
(6) In addition, the city may charge interest at the maximum legal rate from the due date of the bill, until payment in full.
(B) Payment agreement. Any person unable to fully pay any water, sewer, or other city utility bill, on account of financial or economic hardship not occasioned by his or her own wasteful acts may make timely, written request to the Finance Officer to have any bill or bills or part thereof set up on a payment arrangement plan of so much per week or month as the Finance Officer shall allow. If the Finance Officer so chooses, he or she may defer the matter to the City Council for its action on any such request. Any payment plan shall be as specified by the Finance Officer or the City Council, and shall be strictly adhered to by the person requesting the same. So long as the applicant abides by the payment plan, the city shall not consider termination of service. In addition, the Finance Officer or City Council, as the case may be, may but is not required to waive all or any portion of the late charges and/or interest for any person abiding by the payment plan.
(Prior Code, § 8.0123)