A. Purpose: The purpose of creating a level pay option for water and sewer customers is to allow water and sewer customers to pay their average water and sewer utility bills in twelve (12) equal monthly payments, balancing seasonal high water usage months with low water usage months.
B. Eligibility: To be eligible a customer must be a homeowner or commercial business property owner with a nondelinquent payment history with the city of Fruitland for the previous twelve (12) months and have a minimum of twelve (12) months of water and sewer service prior to the filing of the application. The customer’s account balance must be zero at the time the application is submitted.
C. Noneligibility: The level pay option shall not apply to or be available to customers occupying industrial properties, or to any property owner who has been delinquent on a water or sewer payment within the previous twelve (12) months.
D. Program Details: To qualify for the program a customer must be eligible and not disqualified by any reason set out in section 8-1-3 of this chapter. The customer must first complete an application requesting participation in the level pay. The payment amount shall be computed on the preceding twelve (12) month period from December 1 through November 30. The payment shall be based upon the average of the monthly water consumption and the monthly water and sewer base rate during that time period.
E. Rate Changes: Should the base rate or the water consumption increase or decrease be adopted by the city during the level pay period, the monthly bill will be adjusted immediately upon the effective date of the rate change and will be reflected in future billings within that time period.
F. Annual Review: Every year the shortage or overage of the account at the end of the twelve (12) month period from December to November will be factored in to the twelve (12) month period to determine the new monthly payment. The new monthly payment shall become effective December 1 of each year.
G. Termination: A person shall be terminated from the level pay program for any of the following reasons: 1) failure to make any monthly payment, 2) failure to make any monthly payment prior to the last day of the month in which the payment is due, or 3) loss of eligibility as defined by section 8-1-1 or 8-1-2 of this chapter.
H. Required Payment: In the event the level pay program is terminated for any reason, the account shall be paid in full when the service is terminated.
I. No Reason To Excuse Amount Owing: The failure to make any changes in the monthly payment schedule pat the end of the twelve (12) month time period shall not be a reason to excuse any amount due and owing. (Ord. 600, 6-8-2015; amd. Ord. 676, 11-23-2020)