(A) Adjustments and time limitation. When a determination is made that a customer’s utility account has been overcharged or undercharged for utility services (by reason of inaccurate metering, clerical errors or other unintentional causes), the error shall be remedied as promptly as possible, and an adjustment shall be made for the dollar amount of the overcharge or undercharge for the time period that the erroneous charges occurred, not to exceed one year prior to the date that the city became aware of the error for undercharges, and three years prior to the date that the city became aware of the error for overcharges.
(B) Refund for overcharge. When a customer has been overcharged, the overpaid amount shall be refunded or applied as a credit to the customer by the city within 60 days of the calculation of the amount of overcharge.
(C) Collection of undercharge. When a customer has been undercharged, the customer shall be promptly notified of the cause and amount of the adjustment, and the undercharged amount shall be added to the customer’s monthly utility bills (whether or not those bills are for the same property on which the undercharge occurred); at the discretion of the City Clerk, the undercharged amount may be billed and paid in equal monthly installments, without interest, up to a maximum period of six months, beginning with the next billing after the notification. In the event that the customer has discontinued utility services from the city, or does so before full payment of the undercharged amount, the billing shall be separate from the routine utility billing, but shall provide for the same payment terms.
(D) Exceptions. The previous sections shall not apply to situations in which deliberate or intentional acts of the customer (or anyone acting on behalf of or for the benefit of the customer) have resulted in an undercharge to the customer for utility services, including, but not limited to, meter-tampering or other interference with accurate metering. In those cases, the city reserves all legal rights to collect the full amount of the unpaid utilities without regard to the time limitation and installment payment provision set forth above.
(Ord. 94, passed 2-9-2004)