(A) Authority to reconnect. When water service has been discontinued at any premises by application of the owner thereof or for the nonpayment of water charges or for any other cause, it shall be unlawful for any person to again connect such premises with water service except when authorized to do so by the Water Superintendent or his or her delegate. When water is so reinstated without such authority, the Water Superintendent or his or her delegate may then turn off the water at the main, or remove a portion of the service connection at the cock; and if the water was turned on by the consumer or by his or her authority, he or she shall be charged the actual cost of discontinuing and reinstating the water supply.
(B) Reconnection fee. In case water service is cut off from a customer because of failure to pay water bill, a charge as set forth in the Appendix of Fines and Fees shall be made to the customer for turning the water back on.
(C) Notice of disconnection. In cutting water off to a customer, sufficient notice will have been given by notifying the customer of the delinquency of his or her billing by mail. Such mailing will be made by the town offices with the authorization of the Town Administrator.
(D) Disconnection for late payment.
(1) It is the policy of the town to discontinue utility service to customers by reason of nonpayment of bills only after notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard on disputed bills. The town’s form for application for utility service and all bills shall contain, in addition to the title, address, room number and telephone number of the official in charge of billing, clearly visible and easily readable provisions to the effect that:
(a) All bills are due and payable on or before the date set forth on the bill;
(b) If any bill is not paid by or before that date, a second bill will be mailed containing a cutoff notice that if the bill is not paid within ten days of the mailing of the second bill, service will be discontinued for nonpayment; and
(c) Any customer disputing the correctness of his or her bill 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 town official in charge of utility billing. This official shall be authorized to order that the customer’s service not be discontinued and shall have the authority to make a final determination of the customer’s complaint.
(2) 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, 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.
(3) When it becomes necessary for the town to discontinue utility service to a customer for nonpayment of bills, service will be reinstated only after all bills for service then due have been paid, along with a turn-on charge as set forth in the Appendix of Fines and Fees.
(Prior Code, § 8-1-6) Penalty, see § 10.99