(A) There are some circumstances in which village customers might be billed several months after the date of service for services or commodities provided by the utility. Such billings may cover multiple months of service. These circumstances can include, but are not limited to, the village’s discovery that:
(1) A slow-running meter has been providing an inaccurate measure of customer consumption;
(2) A meter has stopped, resulting in no registered usage;
(3) A customer who signed up for and received service was inadvertently omitted from the monthly billing system; and
(4) Meter tampering has resulted in the utility's inability to properly bill for service in a timely manner.
(B) Except where tampering has occurred, if the village has failed to bill for services or commodities it has provided, the back billing will be limited to 12 months for residential service and 24 months for nonresidential service.
(C) Except in circumstances involving meter tampering, any customer receiving a multi-month bill for previously unbilled utility services will be eligible to enter into a Promissory Payment Arrangement or Extended Payment Plan with the village.
(D) If the village discovers that there has been tampering with any of its equipment and the customer has enjoyed the benefits of such tampering, the utility is not restricted to the above time limitations on unbilled services. The customer will be responsible for all service usage during the period that tampering occurred, including estimated consumption where unmetered usage occurred. The village may bill a customer for diverted service not used by that customer if that customer had knowledge of or consented to the diversion.
(E) If tampering (or any malicious act on the part of the customer) results in damage to village equipment, the customer will also be responsible for the cost of repairing or replacing that equipment. Service will be interrupted until all such charges are paid in full.
(Ord. 16-15, passed 4-26-16)