(A) Authorized employees. The City Manager shall designate those individuals who are employed by the department and authorized to carry a credential of the department. No person other than an authorized employee shall have or use any credential of the department. An employee must surrender credentials to the Director upon termination of employment or at the request of the City Manager.
(B) Right to access. An authorized employee shall carry a credential when dealing with the general public. Upon presentation of the credential, an authorized employee shall have free access, at reasonable hours, to private premises receiving service for the purpose of reading or inspecting a water meter, a backflow prevention device or for other service-related activities. Only an authorized employee may have free access to parts of the water and wastewater systems for purposes of operation, construction, repair or maintenance.
(C) Access by non-authorized persons. A person shall be in violation of this chapter and shall be subject to the penal provisions of this chapter if he or she is not an authorized employee under this chapter and he or she:
(1) Uses a department credential to obtain access to private property or to a part of the water or wastewater system; or
(2) Falsely represents, by other than the display of a credential, that he or she is an authorized employee of the department to obtain access to private property or to a part of the water or wastewater system.
(D) Private contractors. A person performing construction or repair work for the department pursuant to a contract with the city or pursuant to a private development contract authorized by the city has a right of access to those parts of the water or wastewater system as is reasonably necessary to fulfill performance of the contract; provided, that no person shall have the right under such contract to open or operate any valve in water or wastewater systems and any such access shall be subject to the express directions of the Director, the term of the contract documents and all requirements of this chapter concerning permits and/or applications.
(Ord. O-16-821, passed 7-28-2016) Penalty, see § 50.999