(a) All bills for utility services will be received on or about the first day of each month.
(b) The rates to be charged for meter services will be the rates set by the Council of the Village of Elida, Ohio, by Ordinance 1080 and 1081-2015, including the five dollar ($5.00) monthly service charge for water and five dollar ($5.00) monthly service charge for sewer for all accounts that have a meter installed. The rate structure for water will be set by the Council of the Village of Elida, Ohio, by Ordinance 1140-2018. Having the water disconnected for any reason does not void the ten dollar ($10.00) monthly service charge.
(c) Final payment date to avoid penalty will be the 12th of the month. For your convenience, the Village offers five different options for payment of the utility service. Please feel free to contact the Village offices to exercise a payment option.
(d) Property owners, companies, and corporations located on property outside the Village limits using water and/or sewer service, provided by the Village of Elida, shall pay a surcharge of sixty-five percent (65%) over the rates charged to utilities customers living within the Village limits set by the Council of the Village of Elida, Ohio by Ordinance 1140-2018.
(e) All bills not paid by the 12th of the month will be considered delinquent and be subject to a ten percent (10%) penalty compounded monthly on the total bill. Service will be terminated ten (10) days from due date. A termination notification will be sent to delinquent customer. Water Department personnel assigned to disconnect service will not accept payments. Delinquent payment must be made at the Village office in accordance with subsection (g) hereof. No delinquent account shall be allowed to continue after thirty (30) days from the original billing date, unless it is determined to be a hardship case and approved by the Village Administrator.
(1) The service charge continues its monthly fee as long as the meter remains in or with the property.
(f) Charges for water and/or sewer service not paid shall become a lien on property and collected as provided in Section 743.04 of the Ohio Revised Code.
(g) Once service is terminated for failure to pay for utility service, service will not be reinstated until all delinquent payments, delinquent penalties, and reconnect charges have been paid in full. Reconnect charge of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) will be charged if service is reconnected during regular working hours, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM. A fifty dollar ($50.0) reconnect fee will be charged for any reconnections at any other than regular working hours. Any exceptions to this rule must be approved by the Village Administrator. Water service will not be reinstated after 9:00 p.m. and will have to wait until the following day.
(h) All payments on delinquent accounts by customers shall apply to their oldest bills and penalties.
(i) A charge of thirty-five dollars ($35.00) will be added for any returned checks. Payment for returned checks must be made in cash. Any customer that has more than two (2) checks returned in a six (6) month period will lose the privilege of paying by check.
(j) In the event of two (2) or more meters serving the same individual consumer, a single charge per meter will be billed for each meter. This will be calculated at the current water rate. A service charge will be applied monthly per meter. A service charge will be applied monthly per meter as long as the meter is in place. Failure of payment for either meter will result in service termination to the property.
(k) The property owner is ultimately responsible for the utility bill. Apartment renters must apply for a utility account, and they will be responsible for payment of utility service fees. Apartment units with apartments individually metered will be charged water and sewer based on metered water usage.
(l) No account shall be adjusted except as follows:
(1) Incorrect meter reading;
(2) Defective meter, upon correction of defective meter, water usage for billing purposes shall be the average monthly consumption of water for the previous four readings as designated by the Village Administrator.
(m) When a customer requests a final reading, water service will be terminated and not be reconnected until the new subscriber makes application at Town Hall for services. If the meter remains in the property dwelling the property owner is subject to the current service fee. (See Ordinance 1140-2018). In the case of a tenant, the bill will be forwarded to the property owner who will be responsible for payment in full.
(n) If the meter is removed, the meter must be re-installed into a meter pit. This must be scheduled with the Village before reconnection. The material used for the meter pit will be billed to the property owner.
(o) Service shall not be given to a tenant or buyer if said applicant owes a bill for service at any property or service number within the jurisdiction of the Village of Elida, Ohio and its water district.
(p) Any owner of real estate who installs or maintains water and/or sewer connections therein shall be considered as accepting the provisions of all lawful rules and regulations of the Utilities Department, and as agreeing, in particular, to be liable for all water, sewer, refuse EPA and/or other charges for such premises, whether the accounts for such premises are in the name of such owner or in the name of tenants or other persons.
(q) When a customer goes on vacation for more than a month, they may choose to have their water service shut off and turned back on when they return. The charge for this service will be twenty-five dollars ($25.00). If the water is left on during their vacation, they will pay the minimum charge for water and sewer if usage stays under 100 gallons per month. If not, they will pay according to the water and sewer rate schedule. If there is no usage when the meter is read then the only charge will be the current service charge for the month. Water will be turned off and on during normal working hours between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. They will pay all current charges for usage or associated charges to the account. The Village can waive late fees that are proven to be originated due to extended vacation. Please notify the Village in advance.
(r) Requests by customer to have meter checked because of excessive water use will result in a seventy-five dollar ($75.00) service charge if it is found that the meter is in good working order and that the Village is not at fault. The customer is responsible for any plumbing issues that would derive from removing the meter (i.e., broken valve, water leak).
(s) The sewer charge on an account will be adjusted once per year for the water used for filling or maintain the proper level of water in a swimming pool.
(Ord. 1146-2019. Passed 4-23-19.)