(A) Delinquent accounts, generally. The city shall endeavor to collect delinquent accounts promptly. In any case where satisfactory arrangements for payment of water and sewer charges have not been made, the City Clerk-Treasurer or designee may, after the procedural requirements of division (B) below have been complied with, discontinue service to the delinquent customer by shutting off the water at the stop box. When water service to any premises has been discontinued, service shall not be restored except upon the payment of all delinquent amounts for water and sewer charges due, plus a fee for disconnection and reconnection as set by City Council resolution.
(B) Procedure. Water shall not be shut off under division (A) above until notice and an opportunity for a hearing have first been given to the owner and the occupant of the premises involved. The notice shall be mailed by first class mail to the service address, and if different than the service address, the last known address of the owner. The notice shall state that if payment is not made before a date stated in the notice but not less than 15 days after the date on which the notice is given, the water supply to the premises will be shut off. The notice shall clearly inform the customer of the available opportunities to present to the city an objection to the bill, and shall identify the telephone number, address, and officer or employee who will handle the customer’s complaint and who has the authority to review the facts and files and to correct any errors in the billing. The notice shall also state that the occupant or owner may before the date demand a hearing on the matter, in which case the supply will not be cut off until after the hearing is held. If the customer requests a hearing before the date specified, a hearing shall be held on the matter by the City Council or a panel or commission established by the City Council at least one week after the date on which the request is made. If, as a result of the hearing, the City Council, or commission or panel, finds that the amount claimed to be owing is actually due and unpaid and that there is no legal reason why the water supply of the delinquent customer may not be shut off in accordance with this chapter, the city may shut off the supply.
(Ord. 193, passed 4-26-2011; Ord. 226, passed 9-13-2021)