(A) (1) Meters will be read monthly and bills will be rendered monthly according to the schedule of rates on file with the town. If a bill is not paid before the due date indicated on the bill, the customer will be considered delinquent, and at any time thereafter prior to the payment thereof, the town may, after service notice, discontinue service.
(2) Failure to receive the bill shall not affect the right of the town to discontinue service for nonpayment.
(B) All water charges accrue to the customer rather than the premises. If a customer moves from premises where he or she has been supplied with water service, he or she will be held responsible for the payment of all bills rendered for the service supplied to said premises until he or she gives proper notice to the town that service is to be discontinued at said premises.
(C) A bill for public fire protection and private fire protection shall be rendered yearly. Rates are on file with the town.
(D) All special services for which cash payment is not required will be billed with the next regular monthly bill following the date the service was performed. Rates for special services are on file with the town.
(E) All bills shall be rendered and due monthly. If not paid by the fifteenth day of the month following the date of the bill, there shall be added a 10% penalty to the amount of the bill. Remittances sent by mail on or previous to the fifteenth of the month as evidence by the United States Post Office mark on the envelope in which they are received will be accepted as a tender of payment within the time limit. When the fifteenth falls on a Saturday, Sunday or on any legal holiday, the first business day thereafter shall be considered as being within the time limit.
(F) All charges, if any, shall be based on the registration of the meter or meters installed.
(G) The town will make an effort to read meters at least once a month, and such reading shall be prima facie evidence of the amount of water used. If the town is temporarily unable to obtain an accurate meter reading, the customer shall be billed an estimated charge based on previous meter readings. A card will be left on the door requesting the customer to set a time with the Water Department for entry into the premises for the purpose of reading the meter and making repair of the readout device. The first billing made after the meter is read shall be adjusted according to the actual meter reading. Not more than two estimated readings will be allowed. Failure to make a meter available for reading and/or repair for three consecutive months will result in the disconnection of service.
(H) All water passing through meters shall be charged for, whether used, wasted or lost through leakage.
(I) Disputing the accuracy of a bill shall not be reason for nonpayment of the bill by the customer. The customer may pay a bill under protest, thus giving written notice that redress is being sought. Such written notice must be filed with the Town Clerk-Treasurer prior to the due date of the bill.
(J) 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.
(Prior Code, § 104.16) (Ord. 10-2015, passed 11-23-2015; Ord. 13-2018, passed 2-25-2019)