(A) Water bills shall be due and payable monthly according to usage, for their water service. It shall be the duty of the customers of the Water Department to pay their bills monthly. The village shall charge and collect from each customer for the amount of water bill together with any other charges, properly itemized, due the Water Department. Bills shall be due on the fifteenth day after their bill is rendered. Bills paid after the payment due date shall have a penalty charge added thereto in an amount of $15. Bills not paid by the payment due date shall be deemed to be delinquent. Upon being deemed delinquent, as herein defined, the Village Clerk shall give a written notice to the customer of such delinquency and shall demand payment immediately. In the event the bill is not paid within seven days after the sending of said notice, it shall be discretionary with the village to disconnect service at any time; provided, if the delinquent customer is a known welfare recipient, it shall be the duty of the Village Clerk to notify the customer and the County Welfare Department by certified mail of the proposed termination.
(B) In the event that utility service is disconnected for non-payment of the bill, the customer thereof shall have the right to have the same reconnected only upon payment of the amount due, and in addition thereto, a reconnection fee of $50, when such reconnection is made during normal business hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. excluding holidays. A reconnection fee of $100 is due when such reconnection is made at any time other than during normal business hours as stated above.
(C) The notice required by Neb. RS 70-1605 shall contain the following information:
(1) The reason for the proposed disconnection;
(2) A statement of intention to disconnect unless the domestic subscriber either pays the bill or reaches an agreement with the utility regarding payment of the bill;
(3) The date upon which service will be disconnected if the domestic subscriber does not take appropriate action;
(4) The name, address, and telephone number of the utility’s employee or department to whom the domestic subscriber may address any inquiry or complaint;
(5) The domestic subscriber’s right, prior to the disconnection date, to request a conference regarding any dispute over such proposed disconnection;
(6) A statement that the utility may not disconnect service pending the conclusion of the conference;
(7) A statement to the effect that disconnection shall be postponed or prevented upon presentation of a duly licensed physician’s, physician assistant’s, or advanced practice registered nurse’s certificate, which shall certify that a domestic subscriber or resident within such subscriber’s household has an existing illness or handicap which would cause such subscriber or resident to suffer an immediate and serious health hazard by the disconnection of the utility’s service to that household. Such certificate shall be filed with the utility within five days of receiving notice under this section, excluding holidays and weekends, and will prevent the disconnection of the utility’s service for a period of at least 30 days from such filing. Only one postponement of disconnection shall be required under this division (C)(7) for each incidence of nonpayment of any past-due account;
(8) The cost that will be borne by the domestic subscriber for restoration of service;
(9) A statement that the domestic subscriber may arrange with the utility for an installment payment plan;
(10) A statement to the effect that those domestic subscribers who are welfare recipients may qualify for assistance in payment of their utility bill and that they should contact their caseworker in that regard; and
(11) Any additional information not inconsistent with this section which has received prior approval from the board of directors or administrative board of any utility.
(D) A public or private utility company, other than a municipal utility owned and operated by a village, shall make the service termination information required under divisions (C)(4) through (C)(7) (C)(9) through(11) readily accessible to the public on the website of the utility company and available by mail upon request.
(Neb. RS 70-1606)
(Prior Code, § 3-108) (Ord. 330, passed 11-6-1978; Ord. 534, passed 7-9-1997; Ord. 542, passed 11-12-1997; Ord. 743, passed 5-23-2023) Penalty, see § 51.99
Statutory reference:
Related provisions, see Neb. RS 17-542 and 70-1605