(A)
The City Commission, annually on or about June 1, shall approve any delinquent balance as of January 30 for such service furnished to any premises to the Director of Finance/Treasurer who shall place the same on the next tax roll of the city. Such charges so assessed shall be collected in the same manner as general city taxes.
(B) The city may discontinue utility service to customers for non-payment of bills or failure to allow water meter service or replacement but only after notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard on disputed bills or water meter service objections. The city's application for utility service and all utility bills shall contain, in addition to the title, address, and telephone number of the official in charge of billing, clearly visible and easily readable provisions to the effect:
(1) That all bills are due and payable on or before the date set forth on the bill;
(2) That if any bill is not paid on or before that date, a second bill will be mailed and a cutoff notice that, if the bill is not paid within ten days of mailing of the second bill, service may be discontinued for non-payment; and
(3) That if access to the water meter has been denied by the customer and a cutoff notice has been sent, service may be discontinued if access to the meter is not allowed; and
(4) That any customer disputing the correctness of his or her bill or the need for the city to repair or replace his or her meter shall have a right to a hearing at which time he or she may be represented in person and by counsel or any other person of his or her choosing and may present orally or in writing his or her complaint and contentions to the Director of Finance/Treasurer or his/her designee. This official shall be authorized to order that customer's service not be discontinued and shall have the authority to make a final determination of the customer's complaint.
(C) 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, the 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. If access to a water meter continues to be denied following the hearing procedure, service will be discontinued at the time specified.
(D) When it becomes necessary for the city to discontinue utility service to a customer for non-payment 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 amount of $20. If service has been discontinued because of the failure to allow water meter service or replacement, service will be reinstated only after the meter has been repaired or replaced and a turn-on charge in the amount of $20 has been paid.
(Ord. effective 7-28-2017; Ord. effective 4-1-2022)