(A) Customer discontinuance.
(1) Every customer who is about to vacate any premises supplied with service by the city, or who for any reason wishes to have service discontinued, shall give at least 24 hours’ notice thereof to the utility, specifying the date on which it is desired that service be discontinued and after inspection by the Public Works Department. Until the city shall have such notice and a reasonable opportunity to inspect the discontinuance, the customer shall be held responsible for all service rendered.
(2) Should the customer desire to discontinue the use of water temporarily, the city, when notified to do so in writing, will shut off the water at the curb and allowance will be made on the bill for such time as the water is not in use.
(a) No deduction in bills will be made for the time any service pipes may be frozen.
(b) The customer is still responsible for the water basic infrastructure fee to be charged monthly when the water is turned off.
(3) (a) If the customer desires to have the city water shut off for less than a 24-hour period, the city will perform that service during regular working hours without charge.
(b) Shut offs occurring during the weekends, holidays or non-working hours shall be performed only at the expense of the customer, unless such shut off is the result of an emergency not created by the neglect of the customer.
(4) The owner of property to which water service is supplied is responsible upon discontinuance or abandonment of the water service to shut off said service at the curb box, disconnect the service line at the point of connection with a city water main, or, when shut off at curb box or disconnection from a water main is not practical, disconnect the service line, for the discontinued water service from the host service line.
(a) All disconnections are by a method and means acceptable to the Public Works Director to prevent unauthorized resumption of water service and protection of the integrity of the city water system. Should the owner fail to satisfactorily disconnect such service, the Public Works Department may make such disconnection and charge the owner the actual cost thereof.
(b) Reconnection of water service at the water main is subject to the same connection fees and requirements applicable to a new connection.
(c) The water basic infrastructure fee will be continued to be charged monthly, even if the water is disconnected as the potential for reconnection is present.
(5) If the city discovers that water service that was previously discontinued is reactivated without proper authorization, the owner of the premises receiving the unauthorized water service is liable for all water service charges starting when the water service was last discontinued and continuing forward.
(B) City discontinuance; notice of discontinuance.
(1) The city shall not discontinue service to any customer for violation of rules and regulations or for non-payment of bills without first having tried diligently to induce the customer to comply with its rules and regulations, or to pay his, her or their bills.
(a) A record of such effort must be maintained. These efforts may include phone calls, emails, written notice and door hangers.
(b) Documentation of two attempts of communication shall be considered diligence on the city’s part.
(2) Service shall actually be discontinued only after at least seven days’ written notice shall have been given to the customer by the city that bills are ten or more days delinquent, or that the violation of rules must cease, however, where fraudulent use of water is detected, or where the city’s regulating or measuring equipment has been tampered with, or where a dangerous condition is found to exist on the customer’s premises, the water may be shut off without advance notice.
(Prior Code, § 4.12.040) (Ord. 1, passed 1-17-1980; Ord. 19, passed 11-21-1983; Ord. 64, passed 8--1992; Ord. 159, passed 7-21-2014; Ord. 2021-10, passed 12-20-2021)