(A) Bills for the monthly charges and fees herein before mentioned shall be mailed by the utilities billing personnel at City Hall and shall be paid monthly by the user.
(B) The date of receipt at the City Hall shall be considered as the date of payment, Water/Sewer Department maintenance personnel are not authorized to receive money for the payment of bills. If any water/sewer bill for water/sewer service shall be and remain unpaid after 4:30 p.m. on the twentieth day of each month, a 10% penalty shall be imposed and added to said bill; if the twentieth day of the month falls on a weekend, customer will be given until 4:30 p.m. the next regular work day for payment; delinquent after 4:30 p.m.; and if said bill is not paid by the second Tuesday of the following month at close of business (4:30 p.m.), the water will be turned off without further notice and will not be re-connected until all current charges shall have been fully paid plus a reconnection charge. Accounts receiving meter turn-offs between and including the fifteenth and the thirty-first of the month will be billed in full, including any additional volumetric usage charges. Accounts receiving meter turn-offs between and including the first and the fourteenth of the month will be charged one-half the base rate, unless such account uses its base usage amount in full (e.g., 4,000 gallons, for residential), and in such case then the full base rate and any and all volumetric charges will be due in full.
(C) A meter reader is required to read each active water meter monthly. If it has been determined that a meter was not read and the next meter reading is above the minimum, the Water Department Clerk will determine an average monthly consumption and is authorized to adjust and give credit if appropriate.
(D) When a meter reading has been certified correct by the Water/Sewer Department Superintendent and a customer disputes the reliability of the meter functioning properly, meter will be sent (at customer’s request) to the manufacturer for certification. If the manufacturer certifies the meter is functioning properly, costs for shipping, handling and meter testing will be billed to and paid in full by the customer. Customer will also be responsible for the water usage existing on the water meter. If a meter is certified as faulty, the Water Department will pay all shipping, handling and testing fees and water usage will be written off.
(E) When a water/sewer customer has failed to pay a water bill and two additional billings for the past due amount have been sent to the customer and bill remains unpaid, the total amount due will be referred to a collection agency if the amount due is $25 or more. Upon collection of the bill, the percentage fee retained by the collection agency will be written off. Past due bills of less than $25 and six months old or older will be referred to the City Administrator for permission to be written off.
(F) All “other billings and emergency provision of water” will be approved and signed by the City Administrator on a case-by-case basis. Emergency provision of water will not exceed three working days.
(Ord. 471, passed 4-13-2004)