(A) Landlord, owner and tenant responsibility for active service.
(1) All landlords/owners should advise the village when they purchase a new property or relinquish ownership of a property receiving utility service from the village.
(2) The owner of any lot, building, or premises and the occupant thereof and the customer of the utility service of said system shall be jointly and severally liable to pay for such utility service on said premises; and, the service shall be furnished to the premises by the village only upon the condition that the owner of the premises, occupant, and customer of the utility service are jointly and severally liable.
(3) Landlords/property owners shall be responsible for paying for active village utility services provided to their leased/rented properties when a tenant does not apply or qualify for services. Landlords or owners shall have the option of:
(a) Retaining service and paying all charges in their name during the periods of time when an active tenant does not apply or qualify for service from the village; or
(b) Having service disconnected when an active tenant does not apply or qualify for service.
(4) If the landlord/owner directs a new tenant to provide proof that village utility service has been placed in the tenant's name, the village will provide the tenant with such confirmation.
(B) Master-metered and multi-area single-metered properties.
(1) Utility service in buildings with multiple dwelling units served by one master meter (house meter) must be billed in the name of the landlord/owner or his or her duly appointed agent. (Agents appointed to act in the name of the landlord/ owner must be identified and authorized in writing to the village by the landlord/owner.) Likewise, single meters that serve more than one tenant's area must be billed in the name of the landlord/owner until each service is exclusive to a single tenanted area. A facility charge will be billed for each unit of the building.
(2) When disconnection for nonpayment of service is scheduled for a master-metered property, notice shall be posted on the premises five days before the disconnect date. All tenants would be sent notice in accordance with the Rental Property Utility Service Act. Tenants may petition the circuit court of Sangamon County for appointment of a receiver to collect the rent due and remit a portion to the village for payment of village utility bills.
(3) Landlords/owners are responsible for clearly and permanently identifying, by stencil or other means, the apartment, mobile home or area served by each meter. Once meters have been installed and identified, the landlord/owner is responsible for meeting with a village representative to verify that each meter services the correct unit and is accurately, clearly and permanently identified.
(4) When incorrect billing results from incorrectly identified meters, the village is not responsible for credit adjustments to bills issued prior to being notified the meters were incorrectly identified. Upon notification from the landlord/owner of incorrectly identified meters, the village will correct all future billing records to reflect the correct meter identification for the units/areas they service.
(Ord. 80-33, passed 12-16-80; Am. Ord. 16-15, passed 4-26-16)