(a) The maintenance of water service connections is a substantial and valuable benefit to land. Any owner of real estate premises maintaining such water service connections shall assume responsibility for the total of all water and/or sewer service charges levied against the premises during his/her ownership in the same manner as the person who actually incurred the charges. This assumption of responsibility is a necessary condition to the continuance of water services to the premises and failure to pay such charges when properly billed shall constitute grounds for the Village Administrator to refuse water service to the premises.
(b) In the event a person incurs an obligation to pay for services performed or water and/or sewer service, as an owner or tenant for one parcel of real property, and that person subsequently moves to another location, such person may be denied service if he/she is delinquent in payment for service at the previous location.
(c) Furthermore, a person owning multiple pieces of property with accounts in their name may be denied service at one or more properties for delinquency at any location. If delinquent, the Village will not allow a new account to be opened by a tenant at that location until the account is paid in full.
(d) Owners of property shall be held responsible for utility charges on their premises; but payments will be accepted from tenants.
(e) Past due bills from a previous property owner will become the responsibility of the new property owner. It is the responsibility of the new property owner to insure any past due bill is included as part of closing costs.
(f) Upon the death of the owner of property, outstanding charges will become a claim against the estate and will be collected in the normal fashion, including, but not limited to, by action at law or certification to the real property tax duplicate. As a courtesy to the estate representative and/or survivors, invoices will continue to be sent to the address on file until an application is made to change or update the account information.
(g) Delinquent bills may be certified to the County Auditor for collection on the tax duplicate of Sandusky County, Ohio in the manner provided by the Ohio Revised Code and the Codified Ordinances of the Village of Gibsonburg, Ohio. This process occurs in September of each year. A fifty dollar ($50.00) processing fee will be added to any account which is certified to the Auditor’s office.
(Ord. 01-2010. Passed 4-1-10.)