(A) Bills for water service, sewage disposal service and electric service shall be due and payable when rendered and shall be subject to a service charge for late payment at a rate to be established pursuant to resolution of the City Council. The Superintendent shall have charge of the reading of all meters. He or she shall keep a record of all meter readings and shall keep accounts of the charges for water and sewer service and electric service furnished to all premises and shall render bills for the same. All water and sewer service charges and electric service rates shall be collected by the City Treasurer, who shall credit the same to the proper account. Water and sewer service and electric service bills shall be payable at the city offices.
(Prior Code, § 2.139)
(B) (1) Charges for water supply service and/or sewage disposal service shall be billed and collected monthly. A bill shall become due and payable on the twenty-fifth of the month billed as specified on such bill and, if not paid by the twenty-sixth day of the month billed, shall be subject to a 10% penalty which shall be added thereto as an additional charge for that month’s bill. If there are previous monthly bills yet unpaid, this new billing, plus the 10% penalty for that month, will be added to the prior bill and constitute the total arrearage.
(2) (a) 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, room number, and telephone number of the official in charge of billing, clearly visible and easily readable provisions to the effect:
1. That all bills are due and payable on or before the date set forth on the bill; and
2. That 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. That any customer disputing the correctness of his or her bill shall have a right to a hearing at which time he 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.
(b) 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.
(c) 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 turn-on charge in the sum of $20.