(A) Water bills shall be due and payable monthly at the office of the Village Clerk, or at such place as the governing body may designate. The Water Commissioner/Public Works Commissioner shall read or cause to be read water meters monthly between the twenty-fifth and last day of the month during which service is used. The Water Commissioner/Public Works Commissioner shall direct the Village Clerk to charge and collect from each customer for the amount of water consumed since the last examination together with any other charges, properly itemized, due the Water Department.
(B) Bills shall be mailed by the Village Clerk on or before the last day of each month, and shall be due and payable on or before the fifteenth day of the following month. Bills not paid by the twenty-fifth day of each month shall be deemed delinquent. Bills paid after the twenty-fifth day of each month shall have a penalty charge added thereto, in an amount set by resolution of the governing body, and on file at the office of the Village Clerk. The Village Clerk shall give written notice to the customer of such delinquency and shall demand payment immediately.
(C) Bills may be paid by cash, cashiers' check, certified check, money order, personal check or ACH. For bills which are paid with a non-sufficient fund check (NSF), the Village Clerk will immediately notify the customer by mail that a check has been dishonored by the bank upon which it is drawn. Payment by cash, cashiers' check, certified check or money order shall be required within five days of notice and demand for payment of an NSF check. A service charge will be added for each NSF check returned in an amount set by resolution of the governing body, and on file at the office of the Village Clerk.
(D) The village shall not discontinue service to any customer for nonpayment of any bill unless the Village Clerk shall first give written notice by mail to any customer whose bill is delinquent and whose service is proposed to be terminated at least seven days prior to termination. As to any customer who has previously been identified as a recipient of assistance from the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), such notice shall be by certified mail to the customer and DHHS. Prior to the discontinuance of service to any customer by the village, the customer, upon request, shall be provided a conference with the governing body. The governing body has established procedures to resolve bills when a conference is requested by a customer. Such procedures, three copies of which are on file in the office of the Village Clerk, are hereby incorporated by reference in addition to any amendments thereto and are made a part hereof as through set out in full. A copy of such procedures shall be furnished upon the request of any customer. The governing body shall notify the customer of the time, place and date scheduled for such conference.
(E) If water is shut off to any property for any reason (other than as described in division (F) of this section), the Village Clerk shall assess a fee set by resolution of the governing body and on file at the office of the Village Clerk to compensate the village for the additional cost necessary to turn on water service to the customer. This fee will be collected, if not previously paid, when water service is again turned on to a property.
(F) It is not the normal or routine practice of the Water Commissioner/Public Works Commissioner to turn off/turn on the utility service for a customer. However, there are times when it is in the best interests of the village and its customers to purposely turn off the service to a property. These instances include: (1) an empty house/structure that is for sale; (2) during normal repairs not to exceed fifteen days; and (3) empty home/structure due to the occupants being on extended vacation. For these "special exception" disconnections, the customer will be required to pay a fee to turn off the service and a separate fee to turn on the service. Both fees shall be set by resolution of the governing body and on file at the office of the Village Clerk. In addition, while service is disconnected, the customer must still pay one-half of the regular lagoon and water service fees.
(G) In the event that the water is shut off at a property for any reason, landlords, like all other property owners, are responsible for paying the one-time fee to start service at a property owned by landlord as described in division (E) of this section. In addition, tenants are responsible for paying a "name change" fee within ten days of occupying a property and returning the water contract provided to them by the Village Clerk. The "name change" fee will also be set by resolution of the governing body and on file at the office of the Village Clerk. If a tenant's bill becomes delinquent, the landlord will be included on all subsequent notices sent to the tenant. Ultimately, the landlord is responsible for all tenant accounts.
(Prior Code § 3-109) (Am. Ord. 249, 3-2-1994; 266, 12-6-1995; Am. Ord. 2020-03, passed 4-14-2020)