(A) The property owner to which municipal sewerage service is rendered shall be liable for all charges for such service.
(1) A premise is deemed to have sewer service if it has an existing sewer service line connected to the city sewer main.
(2) The basic infrastructure fee for sewer service will continue to be charged monthly regardless of service status.
(B) Sewerage service discontinuance may only occur if the premises are only served by city water and no other water sources are not continuously used for human occupancy.
(1) The city may disconnect the water service for non-payment of the sewer charges.
(2) The city will first make two attempts to contact the property owner (via phone, email or door hanger).
(C) If the city discovers that sewerage service that was previously discontinued (through a water shut off) is reactivated without proper authorization, the owner of the premises receiving the unauthorized sewerage service is liable for all sewerage service charges starting when the sewerage service was last discontinued and continuing forward. In cases when property owner knew and was willfully and blatantly unauthorized to turn on the water service to owner’s premises, the Public Works Director may deny future applications from that property owner for discontinuance of sewer service for any premises owned by that owner.
(D) (1) 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 that:
(a) All bills are due and payable on or before the date set forth on the bill;
(b) 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
(c) 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 ir 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.
(2) 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.
(3) 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.
(E) (1) All charges for such service shall be made a part of the statements, if any, for water service to the same premises, and no payment of water or sewerage charges so billed shall be accepted without payment of both said items.
(2) Sewerage charges shall become due and payable on the tenth day of each month, and if any bill is not paid on or before the thirtieth day of the month when due, or upon failure of any customer to comply with all rules and regulations established for the sewerage system within ten days after notice of violation thereof, the water service to the premises involved shall be discontinued and shall not be resumed until all of the past due bills for water and sewer service have been paid in full and the property owner comes into compliance with all such rules and regulations.
(Prior Code, § 4.10.070) (Ord. 1, passed 1-17-1980; Ord. 21, passed 12-19-1983; Ord. 158, passed 7-21-2014; Ord. 2021-10, passed 12-20-2021)