(A) The terms
TERMINATION or TERMINATE, as they are used in this section, may refer either to:
(1) Termination of a customer's contractual responsibility for water service through transfer of an account from one customer to another; or
(2) Actual termination of water service to any service address at the request of the customer.
(B) All requests for voluntary termination shall be made at the Utilities Department in writing on a Voluntary Termination form by the customer contractually obligated to pay charges incurred at each service address affected by the termination.
(C) If the customer requesting termination states on the Voluntary Termination form that any affected service address is occupied, the termination will not occur until the Voluntary Termination form is also signed at the Utility Office or at the service address by an adult consumer actually residing at each affected service address. Each such consumer shall provide proper identification to a Utilities Department employee at the time the form is signed.
(D) If the customer requesting termination states on the Voluntary Termination form that all affected service addresses are vacant but the city records reveal that any affected service address is different from the billing address, or there is any other reason to believe the termination may affect water service to a benefitted unit other than, or in addition to, the customer's benefitted unit, termination will not occur until a Notice of Voluntary Termination indicating the date on which the termination will occur is delivered to each affected service address at least 10 days prior to termination. Termination shall not occur if the city learns or is notified that any of the affected service addresses is occupied.
(E) Whenever a Notice of Voluntary Termination is required to be sent by this section, termination will not occur until the Utilities Department employee assigned to perform the termination personally visits each affected service address and verifies that it is vacant. Verification shall be made by conducting and documenting a reasonable investigation which includes a thorough inspection of the interior of the premises. Documentation of the reasonable investigation must affirmatively state whether the employee found the affected premises to be vacant and the facts observed by the employee which support that conclusion, together with any facts that tend to indicate that the premises might still be occupied. The customer requesting the termination must grant access to the premises to the Utilities Department employee for the purpose of conducting said investigation at the time of termination.
(F) Utilities Department employee notations as to this reasonable investigation, and all request forms and/or notices executed under this provision, shall be retained in the business file kept by the city relating to any service address so affected.
(G) The city shall restore service immediately upon demand of any adult consumer of water service at any service address so affected, without charge, if this voluntary termination provision was not complied with or if the city's verification of vacancy was in error.