(A) Payment of bills. Bills will be issued and payable monthly and must be paid at an office or an established collection agency of the utility. If a bill is not paid within 15 days from the date mailed, the customer shall be considered delinquent in payment and the utility may disconnect service. Failure to receive the bill shall not entitle the customer to relief from the deferred payment provisions of the rate if he or she fails to make payment within said 15-day period, nor shall it affect the right of the utility to disconnect service for nonpayment as above provided.
(B) Billing adjustments.
(1) All billing errors not related to faulty metering equipment may be adjusted to the known date of the error or for a period of up to five years, whichever period is shorter, and billed or credited to the customer.
(2) In the event of a clerical billing error in favor of the customer, the town may correct said error and bill the correct amount to the customer within five years of the month in which the bill was originally due.
(3) Billing errors related to faulty metering equipment are addressed under division (C) below.
(C) Faulty meters.
(1) Whenever it is discovered that a meter is not recording within the limits of accuracy as defined under § 51.058 of this chapter, the utility will repair or replace the meter.
(2) (a) If the meter is determined to be fast, the utility will estimate the amount the customer has been overbilled and refund the customer for up to five years of overbilling.
(b) If the meter is determined to be slow or has stopped, the utility reserves the right to estimate the amount the customer has been underbilled and bill the customer for up to five years of underbilling.
(c) If the exact starting point of the meter failure or malfunction cannot be determined, the utility will bill (or credit) the customer for the billing inaccuracy for one year using the customer’s most recent 12 months of bills.
(Ord. 14-2017, passed 10-10-2017; Ord. 13-2018, passed 2-25-2019)