(A) Any owner or occupant of any premises using Department water shall pay for water at meter rates. In no case will water be supplied at rates other than as shown by the meter, except for temporary supply or as may be hereinafter provided.
(B) Residential meters of 5/8-inch size will be furnished by the Department without advance charge and are, and shall remain, the property of the Department and will at all times be under its control. All non-residential meters shall be paid for by the owner and shall be installed in a manner approved by the Department. The Department may require an inspection of the installation before service begins. All nonresidential meters are and shall remain the property of the Department and will at all times be under its control.
(C) For ordinary domestic consumption of water, only a 5/8-inch meter, meter horn and remote reader will be furnished to new customers at Department expense. When application is made for a meter larger than 5/8 inch, the customer may select and shall pay for such meter. If a customer requests a change in meter size at some later date, the customer shall pay the full cost of replacement meter. The payment for a meter larger than a 5/8 inch meter is expected before delivery of the meter unless other payment arrangements have been approved in writing by the Treasurer's Office. In no case shall payment arrangements be delayed beyond the date when occupancy of the building is expected to occur.
(D) Meters and remote readers shall be set in an accessible location as approved by the Department. In no case shall a meter be set in an inaccessible location or other place where it cannot be readily reached by City staff. In all cases where the premises contain no basement or cellar, the meter shall be installed in a location approved by the Department. The Department will notify customers where inaccessible meters are known to exist and provide a compliance schedule for relocation of the meter, which schedule shall provide 60 days for the relocation of the meter. The Department, at its sole discretion, may allow an alternate schedule. Meters located in inaccessible locations that come to the attention of the Department at a later date shall be treated in a like manner. The City shall provide the replacement 5/8 inch meter, meter horn and remote reader at no charge to the residential customer. Any work performed by City staff shall be charged to the owner on a time and materials basis. Owners that fail to comply with the compliance schedule shall have their water service terminated. All other customers shall be charged the current rates for the materials used by City staff.
(E) Meters will be sealed by the Department and no one except an authorized employee of the Department shall break such seals. No person other than an authorized employee of the Department shall change the location of, alter or interfere in any way with any meter.
(F) Where replacements, repairs, or adjustments of the meter are made necessary by any act, neglect, or carelessness of the owner or occupant of any premises, the expense to the Department caused thereby shall be charged against and collected from the owner or occupant of the premises on a time and material basis.
(G) (1) The owner of any premises where a meter is installed will be held responsible for its care and protection from freezing, and from injury or interference by any person. In case of damage to the meter or in case of its stoppage or defective condition caused by the owner or occupant, the owner or occupant shall give immediate notice to the Department. All frozen or damaged meters shall be replaced by the City on a time and material basis and shall be paid by the owner.
(2) The owner shall be responsible for damage to the remote reader and/or the wiring from the meter to the remote reader. Any repairs found to be necessary to restore the proper working function of the reader and/or the wiring shall be billed to the owner on a time and material basis.
(H) All water used on any premises must pass through the meter. Any bypass or connection between the meter and the main is prohibited unless approved in writing by the Department.
(I) Secondary meters may be installed for purposes including but not limited to sprinkling, sub-metering and independent metering in a manner and utilizing a brand approved by the Department. All maintenance of secondary meters shall be the responsibility of the owner. Existing secondary metering is subject to Department review. A schedule will be developed to remove existing secondary meters that are not accepted by the Department.
(J) If any meter is not working properly or fails to register, the customer will be charged at the average monthly consumption rate as shown by the meter when registering over 12 months, or any shorter period if 12 months of service history is not available. The accuracy of the meter on any premises will be tested by the Department upon written request of the owner who shall pay a fee specified in the Utility Schedule of Fees, adopted by the City Commission to cover the cost of the test. If on such test, the meter shall be found to register over 3% more water than actually passes through it, another meter will be substituted therefore, and the fee will be refunded to the owner of the premises, and the water bill may be adjusted in accordance with Section 54.13.
('88 Code, Title II, Ch. 22, § 2.36) (Am. Ord. 476-02-01, passed 2-5-01)
(K) Any person who tampers with a water meter, and any customer or owner of property served by the City who allows such tampering to take place, shall be responsible for a municipal civil infraction. In addition, the customer may be subject to termination of water service unless the customer takes immediate steps to prevent further tampering.
(L) (1) The City reserves the right to require that a meter be placed at the property line when, in the sole opinion of the Department, such installation is in the best interest of the City. Maintenance of the water lines on private property shall be the sole responsibility of the owner. The owner of the on-site water system shall at all times maintain the internal plumbing in a manner that does not subject the on-site system and the City water system to potential cross connections. If, in the sole opinion of the Department, the loss of water represents a threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the water system, the Department may issue written notice to the customer requiring the immediate repair of the customer's internal plumbing. If repairs are not undertaken within the time specified by the Department, the water may be turned off in order to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the remaining customers.
(2) Before service is restored, the owner shall install an approved backflow prevention device on the line entering the property. Such device shall be installed immediately downstream from the meter. Both the meter and the backflow prevention device shall be installed in an accessible, above grade structure that is protected from freezing. The property owner shall obtain the written approval of the Department before installing the meter and the backflow prevention device.
(M) If requested, the City may provide a meter to a customer not served by the public water system, where such meter is to be used to establish the volume of waste water discharged into the sanitary sewer system. Any such meter shall be obtained from the City in accordance with the Utility Schedule of Fees, shall remain the property of the City, shall be installed by the customer in full conformance with the requirements of this section, and shall be subject to all of the terms, conditions and enforcement provisions of this chapter.
(Ord. 476-02-01, passed 2-5-01)
(N) (1) All water meters shall be designed for remote read. All wiring for the remote read shall be installed in conduit from the meter to the exterior wall. Conduit for all non-residential meters shall include a suitable pull wire. Conduit shall be installed whenever remodeling is done for a non-residential customer.
(2) Wiring for remote read meters shall be installed in all new construction before meters are installed and service begins. The Department shall be contacted so that the proposed location of the meter and remote reader can be identified and approved. The owner shall install the meter and remote reader in the location specified by the Department staff. The Department may install the remote reader, conduit and wiring, and shall bill the owner on a time and materials basis. Service shall not be allowed until the meter and remote reader installation have been approved by the Department.
(O) A curb box, located at the property line, shall be provided for each residential meter.
(Ord. 572-10-06, passed 10-2-06)