The city shall possess and hereby reserves to itself all the powers granted to cities by statute and constitution to acquire, construct, own, operate, improve, enlarge, extend, repair and maintain, either within or without its corporate limits, including but not by the way of limitation, public utilities for supplying water, light, heat, power, gas, sewage treatment and garbage and rubbish disposal facilities, or any of them, to the municipality and the inhabitants thereof; and also to sell and deliver water, light, heat, power, gas and other public utility services without its corporate limits to an amount not to exceed the limitations set by statute and constitution.
The council shall have the power to fix from time to time such just and reasonable rates and other charges as may be deemed advisable for supplying the inhabitants of the city and others with such public utility services as the city may provide. There shall be no discrimination in such rates within any classification of users thereof, nor shall free service be permitted. Higher rates may be charged for service outside the corporate limits of the city.
The council shall provide by ordinance for the collection of all public utility rates and charges of the city. Such ordinance shall provide at least:
(a) The terms and conditions under which utility services may be discontinued in case of delinquency in paying such rates or charges.
(b) That suit may be instituted by the city before a competent tribunal for the collection of such rates or charges.
With respect to the collection of rates charged for water the city shall have all the powers granted to cities by Act 178 of the Public Acts of 1939, as now or hereafter amended.
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