(a) If service is disconnected, or if disconnection is proposed, due to a customer's non-payment of service charges for a consumer benefited unit, and adult consumer of water services in said benefited unit shall have the right to avoid disconnection, or obtain reconnection, if the consumer pays the current months charges, the standard residential deposit required to initiate future charges and assumes responsibility for timely payments of for service provided the benefitted unit at the water service, service address. If the consumer demonstrates that they are indigent (i.e., unable to pay the entire amount of the deposit and the current month's charges without substantial hardship), the deposit may be made through instalment payments over a period not to exceed 120 days. Consume assumption does not relieve the customer of contractual liability for charges incurred. The assumption obligation shall terminate upon the delivery to the city of a written notice cancelling that assumption signed by the consumer who assumed the obligation and by the customer. If the outstanding charges which caused the proposed termination are still outstanding, the city may proceed to terminate service without further notice.
(b) This section does not apply to any customer concerning any service address in which resided the customer obligated for payment of the account for that service address. However, in circumstances in which one meter serves more than one service address, consumer benefitted units will not be penalized in any way, or denied the benefit of this provision, because the defaulting customer's benefitted unit might also benefit from a continuation or restoration of service.
(Ord. 19-09, passed 3-14-2019)