(a) Water service shall be initiated only upon an application by the owner or owner's authorized agent in the form provided by the City.
(b) Deposit.
(1) An applicant may be required to pay a deposit of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) upon either of the following:
A. If the applicant owns or has owned real property in the City of Berea in the ten years immediately preceding the application, and the water bill for said property, while under the applicant's ownership or control, was certified; or
B. If at the time of application, the applicant is a debtor in a bankruptcy case pending in the U.S. District Court.
(2) Deposits shall not be applied to current water or sewer bills. However, a deposit held on an account shall be returned upon written request, if, subsequent to the date of the deposit, four (4) consecutive quarterly bills are timely paid. If a deposit is held on an account at the time it is closed, the deposit shall be applied to any final amount outstanding.
(c) Responsible Party; Billing.
(1) All accounts for water service established after January 1, 2022, shall be established and maintained in the name of the record title owner of the premises served thereby. All accounts in existence prior to the effective date of this section which were not contracted in the name of the owner of the serviced property will be permitted to remain in the name of the current contract obligor. However, upon cancellation or termination of such contract, all future contracts for the serviced property shall be made in accordance with this section.
(2) Any owner of real estate premises to which water is supplied shall be deemed liable for all water and service charges for such premises, whether or not the premises is occupied by the owner, tenant or other persons.
(3) Bills shall be mailed or otherwise made available electronically to the owner at the address provided by the owner. Failure to receive a bill shall not relieve the owner from obligation to pay for service rendered when due.
(4) The owner may request that a copy of the bill be mailed to a tenant. However, mailing a copy of the bill to a tenant shall not be construed as relieving the owner of the real property of liability for payment of the bill.
(d) Request for Adjustment. An account holder may request a billing adjustment if it is determined by the Director of Public Service that the water meter malfunctioned. An account holder may also request a billing adjustment due to a leak. In either case, eligibility for an adjustment is determined by the Director, in accordance with the applicable regulation and upon approval of the Board of Control.
(Ord. 2021-67. Passed 12-6-21.)