(A) Bills for the monthly charges and fees hereinbefore mentioned shall be submitted by the Water Department and shall be paid monthly by the user. The date of receipt at the City Hall shall be considered as the date of payment. Water Department personnel are not authorized to receive money for the payment of water bills. If any water bill for water service shall be and remain unpaid after 4:30 p.m. on the twentieth day of each month, a 10% penalty shall be invoiced and added to said bill; if the twentieth day of the month falls on a weekend, the 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 Wednesday of the following month the water will be turned off without further notice and will not be reconnected until all past due charges shall have been fully paid plus a reconnection charge.
(B) 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 gals, for residential), and in such case then the full base rate and any and all volumetric charges will be due in full.
(C) The meter reader is required to read each active account 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 Department Superintendent and a customer disputes the reliability of the meter functioning properly, a meter will be sent (at the customers request) to the manufacturer for certification. If the manufacturer certifies that the meter is functioning properly, costs for shipping, handling and meter testing will be billed to and paid in full by the customer. The 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 the water usage will be written off.
(E) When a water customer has failed to pay a water bill and two additional billings for the past due amount have been sent to the customer and the 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 emergencies” will be approved and signed by the City Administrator on a case-by-case basis. Emergencies normally will not exceed three working days.
(Ord. 471, passed 4-13-2004)