(a) Payment, Penalty and Disconnection. Payment for all rates and other applicable charges shall be made in accordance with the terms specified on the bill or bill insert. In the event any utility account becomes delinquent, penalties shall be assessed against all delinquent amounts and utility service shall be subject to disconnection in accordance with Section 917.09 of this chapter.
(b) Returned Check Charge. In addition to adding late payment charges as appropriate, the City shall charge and collect a fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) to cover the cost of handling a check which a customer tenders in payment of an account and which is returned by the bank because it cannot be paid as ordered.
(c) Customer Obligation. The customer is responsible for the customer’s side of the point of delivery, generally considered to be the outlet side of the curb cock, for the service supplied or taken, as well as for the installation of gas equipment and appliances used in connection therewith. The customer shall not attach or use any appliance or equipment which is unsafe or may result in the injection of air, water or other foreign matter into the gas lines so as to interfere, in any manner, with service to other customers.
(d) No Person Shall Sell to Another. No person shall supply or sell gas for use in any location other than that specified in the application for service as the location where service is to be received.
(e) Right to Shut Off Gas. The City shall have the right to discontinue gas service to a customer or a premises under the following conditions:
(1) For refusing access to any employee of the City who has provided identification to the customer and stated the reasonable purpose for desiring such access;
(2) For failure to furnish or maintain the required security deposit according to the requirements of the Utilities Collection Office;
(3) For violation of any Rules and Regulations of the City; or
(4) If any bill is not paid in total within thirty days after the payment date specified on the bill.
The City shall have the right to discontinue service and the right to disconnect and remove from the premises of any customer the meter and any other property belonging to the City for theft of gas, non-use of gas, nonpayment of bills for gas when bills are due, fraudulent representation or practice, tampering with the gas utility meter or piping in order to affect billing or metering, or whenever deemed necessary by the City for safety reasons.
(f) Volume of Gas Delivered by Meter; Meter Tests. Volumes of gas delivered shall be determined on the basis of the meter registration and bills shall reflect the units of gas so registered. Any mistake in reading the meter registration shall not affect the liability for gas delivered as determined by a correct subsequent reading of the registration. When the meter is not read, the City may estimate the volume of gas delivered and render a bill for such volume. A meter registering between three percent (3%) fast and three percent (3%) slow shall be deemed for all purposes to be registering correctly. A meter registering incorrectly shall be replaced by the City at its expense. Periodically, the City may test meters, using standard industry practices, to determine accuracy of meter registration. If the customer requests a meter test and if the meter is found to be registering correctly, as defined above, the date. of the test shall be stamped on the meter and the customer shall pay the applicable gas meter testing fees.
(g) Customer Service Line. The customer shall own and maintain the customer service line. The City shall have the right to prescribe the size, location and termination points of the customer's service line and the meter connection. The City shall have no obligation to install, maintain or repair such customer service line.
(h) Meter and Regulation Facilities. When changes in building or arrangements therein render the meter inaccessible or exposed to hazards, the City shall, at the customer's expense, arrange for the relocation at a site acceptable to the City of the meter and regulation facilities, together with any portion of the customer's service line necessary to accomplish such relocation. The customer shall not permit anyone who is not an authorized agent of the City to connect or disconnect the City's meters, regulators or any portions of the service line. The meter and regulation facilities are not part of the customer service line and shall remain the property of the City.
(i) Internal Piping and Gas-Burning Equipment and Appliances. The customer shall own and maintain, in an operable and safe order, the internal piping from the outlet of the meter to all gas-burning equipment and appliances. The customer shall own and maintain all gasburning equipment and appliances.
(j) Standards for Customer’s Property. The customer's service line, house lines, fittings, valve connections and appliance venting shall be installed with materials and workmanship which meet all applicable safety standards and shall be subject to inspection or test by the City. The City shall have no obligation to establish service until after such inspection and test demonstrates compliance with such requirements with respect to the facilities in place at the time of the test. The first inspection or test at any premises, including service lines and house lines, shall be without charge. In the case of leakage, error, patent defect or other unsatisfactory or unsafe condition resulting in the disapproval of the line(s) by the City, the necessary correction shall be made at the customer’s expense and the facilities shall then be inspected and tested again by the City. If the customer's service line, house lines, fittings, valve connections and gas-burning appliances or equipment on the customer's property are damaged, defective or in such condition as to constitute a hazard, the City, upon notice to the customer of such defect or condition, may discontinue gas service until such defect or hazardous condition has been rectified by the customer in compliance with the reasonable requirements of the City. The customer shall notify the City promptly of additions, changes, alterations, remodeling or reconstruction affecting the gas movement on the customer's property.
(Ord. 62-98. Passed 12-14-98.)