(A) The water charges for the previous month’s water service shall be billed monthly, and if not paid by the fifteenth day of the month, a 10% penalty shall be added.
(B) It is the policy of the city 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 city’s form for application for utility service and all bills shall contain, in addition to the title, address, and telephone number of the official in charge of billing, clearly visible and easily readable provisions to the effect:
(1) All bills are due and payable on or before the date set forth on the bill;
(2) 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
(3) 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 city 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.
(C) 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 resorting 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.
(D) When it becomes necessary for the city 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 penalty as specified in § 50.99.
(E) (1) If any water rate so charged, and so established, shall not be paid by the last Thursday of the month in which the bill is rendered, the premises shall be disconnected from the system following any notice, as required by law, and shall not be reconnected until the full amount of delinquent charges, penalty, and a $25 reconnection charge has been paid in full, which shall be $50 for reconnections requested after normal business hours, on holidays, or on weekends.
(2) In the event the bill due date falls on a weekend or legal holiday, the bill shall be due the next business day. Any penalties shall be due the following day of the due date, unless payment in full for the billed amount is received by the city before the last Thursday of the month following the month in which the billed services were rendered. In such case, the penalties owed may be applied to the customer’s next month’s water bill, or to a customer’s water deposit, whichever is relevant. The city can also require delinquent, or disconnected, users to pay, or repay, the deposit referred to in this code of ordinances.
(Ord. 2019-17, passed 8-26-2019) Penalty, see § 50.99