(A) a water meter deposit shall be charged before service is initially connected for the user. Once the account is established, the utility bill will identify the person responsible for the bill and the person responsible for the water meter deposit. Charges are set in the town’s utilities fee schedule.
(B) The water meter deposit shall be returned to the person identified on the bill when the user has terminated water service, provided all charges due and owing from the user are paid.
(1) If the account is in the name of two separate individuals and one individual chooses to be removed from the account, the deposit will be refunded to the person identified as paying the water meter deposit, and the person of residence will pay a new meter deposit. The Utility Billing Clerk and the Clerk-Treasurer may, at their discretion, accept a written letter from the individual to transfer the water meter deposit to the person in residence.
(2) If the user identified on the bill as paying the water meter deposit dies, a person may obtain the deposit by providing the Utility Billing Clerk and the Clerk-Treasurer a death certificate and legal power of attorney.
(3)
In extreme cases, the meter deposit may be applied to the balance of the account if approved by the Town Council.
(C) The user must notify the Utilities Office of the forwarding address of the payment. The meter deposit refund must be approved by the Council before the payment is mailed.
(D) Once the customer’s utility account is “FINALED” in the utility accounting software, the meter deposit will be applied to the unpaid balance of the account if the customer’s account is considered delinquent. The meter deposit will first be applied to the outstanding water charges and if there is a balance of the meter deposit left, it will be applied to any outstanding wastewater charges. After the meter deposit is applied to the delinquent account, any additional outstanding utility charges will be sent to collections. After the meter deposit is applied and/or if the account has a credit balance, all reasonable attempts will be made to return the balance to the customer as set forth in division (E).
(E) Unapplied or partial meter deposits will be mailed to the utility customer at the last known address the customer has provided to the utility billing department. If the customers’ meter deposit is returned due to an inadequate address it will be considered unclaimed. If for whatever reason, a meter deposit is not requested to be returned to the customer or applied to another property in town, the deposit will be considered unclaimed 45 days after the initial account has been determined to be final.
(1) Any unclaimed meter deposits will be transferred to the Water Operating Fund at the end of June and the end of December of that fiscal year.
(Ord. 2000-2, passed 2-21-2000; Am. Ord. 2009-2, passed 5-4-2009; Am. Ord. 2019-5, passed 10-07-2019; Am. Ord. 2023-8, passed 9-5-2023)