The City is hereby authorized to enforce the payment of charges, including Water Invoices, for water and/or sewage disposal service to any premises by discontinuing either the water service or the sewage disposal service to such premises, or both, and an legal action may be instituted by the City against the customer. The charges for water supply and/or sewage disposal service, which, under the provisions of Act 94, Public Acts of 1933 of the state, as amended, are made a lien on the premises to which furnished, are hereby recognized to constitute such lien, and the City shall, annually, on May 1, certify all unpaid charges for such services furnished to any premises which, on April 30 preceding, have remained unpaid for a period of six months, to the City Assessor, who shall place the same on the next tax roll of the City. Such charges so assessed shall be collected in the same manner as general City taxes. To provide the City with proper notice of a lease containing a provision that the lessor shall not be liable for payment of water or sewage system bills accruing subsequent to the filing of an affidavit according to Act 94, Public Acts of 1933, being MCL § 123.165, the lessor shall complete and submit an affidavit in the form provided and required by the Treasurer's Office. Upon receipt of the affidavit, no water or sewer service shall be commenced or continued to the specified premises until there has been deposited with the City not less than $100 for residential accounts and not less than $150 for commercial accounts. The Treasurer's Office may require a deposit in an amount up to six times the average monthly water bill for the premises. Where the water service to any premises is turned off by the City to enforce the payment of water or sewage charges, the water service shall not be recommenced until all delinquent charges have been paid and a deposit as in the case of tenants is made, and a water turn-on/turn-off fee as provided in the Water Utility Schedule of Fees is paid. In any other case where, in the discretion of the City, the collection of charges for water supply and/or sewage disposal service may be difficult or uncertain, the City may require a similar deposit. Such deposits may be applied against any delinquent water supply and/or sewage disposal service charges and the application thereof shall not affect the right of the City to turn off the water service and/or sewage service, to any premises for any delinquency thereby satisfied. No such deposit shall bear interest and such deposit, or any remaining balance thereof, shall be returned to the customer making the same when the customer shall discontinue receiving water supply and/or sewage disposal service or except as to tenants as to whom notice of responsibility for such charges has been filed with the City, when any 12 successive monthly bills shall have been paid by the customer with no delinquency.
('88 Code, Title II, Ch. 24, § 2.132) (Ord. 163-11-80, passed 11-17-80); Am. Ord. 183-8-83, passed 8-1-83; Am. Ord. 425-7-97, passed 7-21-97; Am. Ord. 476-02-01, passed 2-5-01; Am. Ord. 573-10-06, passed 10-2-06)