Water service to delinquent customers shall be discontinued or disconnected in accordance with the following:
(Code of Iowa, Sec. 384.84)
1. Notice. The Clerk shall notify each delinquent customer that service will be discontinued or disconnected if payment of the combined service account, including late payment charges, is not received by the date specified in the notice of delinquency. Late notices will be sent on the sixteenth of each month. Such notice shall be sent by ordinary mail to the customer in whose name the delinquent charges were incurred and shall inform the customer of the nature of the delinquency and afford the customer the opportunity for a hearing prior to the discontinuance or disconnected. Disconnections will be done on the twenty-eighth of each month. In the event that a Notice of Disconnection is posted on the property, a $15.00 trip charge will also apply.
2. Notice to Landlords. If the customer is a tenant, and if the owner or landlord of the property or premises has made a written request for notice, the notice of delinquency shall also be given to the owner or landlord. If the customer is a tenant and requests a change of name for service under the account, such request shall be sent to the owner or landlord of the property if the owner or landlord has made a written request for notice of any change of name for service under the account to the rental property.
3. Hearing. If a hearing is requested by noon of the day preceding the shut off, the Clerk shall conduct an informal hearing and shall make a determination as to whether the disconnection or disconnected is justified. The customer has the right to appeal the Clerk’s decision to the Utilities Committee of the Council, and if it is found that disconnection or disconnected is justified, then such disconnection shall be made, unless payment has been received.
4. Fees. A fee of $60.00 shall be charged before service is restored to a delinquent customer. If the service is restored after hours, the fee shall be $75.00. No fee shall be charged for the usual or customary trips in the regular changes in occupancies of property.