(A) Water and sewage accounts not paid in full by the twenty-sixth day of the month in which the current billing was issued will be declared delinquent and a 10% late fee added thereto.
(1) If the payment is not received by the twenty-sixth day of the month following issuance of the billing for the prior month, then termination of service will occur, subject to the conditions of division (C) below.
(2) The Clerk-Treasurer may enter into agreements for collection of past due accounts.
(3) Failure of the customer to meet agreed upon conditions in any such agreement shall be cause for termination of service, subject to the conditions of division (C) below.
(B) Any person who becomes more than 14 days overdue in the payment of his or her monthly statement for water without making acceptable payment arrangements with the Clerk-Treasurer shall have his or her water services shut off, subject to the conditions of division (C) below.
(C) (1) It is the policy of the town to discontinue utility service to customers by reason of nonpayment of bills only after notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard on disputed bills. The town’s form for application for utility service and all bills shall contain, in addition to the title, address, room number, and telephone number of the official in charge of billing, clearly visible and easily readable provisions to the effect:
(a) All bills are due and payable on or before the date set forth on the bill;
(b) If any bill is not paid by or before that date, a second bill will be mailed containing a cutoff notice that if the bill is not paid within ten days of the mailing of the second bill, service will be discontinued for nonpayment; and
(c) Any customer disputing the correctness of his or her bill shall have a right to a hearing at which time he or she may be represented in person and by counsel or any other person of his or her choosing and may present orally or in writing his or her complaint and contentions to the town official in charge of utility billing. This official shall be authorized to order that the customer’s service not be discontinued and shall have the authority to make a final determination of the customer’s complaint.
(2) Requests for delays or waiver of payment will not be entertained; only questions of proper and correct billing will be considered. In the absence of payment of the bill rendered or resort to the hearing procedure provided herein, service will be discontinued at the time specified, but in no event until the charges have been due and unpaid for at least 30 days.
(3) When it becomes necessary for the town to discontinue utility service to a customer for nonpayment of bills, service will be reinstated only after all bills for service then due have been paid, along with a turn-on charge in the sum of $20.
(Prior Code, § 3.2.1) (Ord. 1996-2, passed 3-5-1996; Ord. 2007-03, passed 10-9-2007)