(A) Before the village will supply any utility service, the person desiring the same must make application in writing to the village (on printed forms supplied by the village), specifying the place or location where service is desired and agreeing to comply with all the terms, rules, and regulations of the village covering such service and agreeing to pay for the same conformably with the rates of the village applicable to the class of service desired.
(B) Consumers desiring service must make a separate application for each location or premises where service is desired. The village will not serve more than one location, residence, place of business, or premises under a single application for service.
(C) If the applicant is not the owner of the premises to be served, then before the application is accepted by the village, the owner of the real estate in which the utilities are to serve must first sign and file, as part of the application, a written Utility Account Guarantee guaranteeing payment of all bills for utility services and granting a lien upon the served real estate securing payment. The result is that both the applicant and owner are equally responsible to the village for payment of utilities provided and the owner’s obligation is secured by a lien upon the premises served.
(D) The Utility Account Guarantee statement will be in such form as is approved by the Village Solicitor and Village Administrator.
(E) Where utility service is being provided to a property where a Utility Account Guarantee is required under this section, and the owner of the real estate refuses to sign a Utility Account Guarantee, utility services will be terminated following those procedures in effect for non-payment. Example: An owner occupied premises is sold and becomes a rental.
(F) The application for service will provide for a lien upon the premises securing the payment of all services provided to the premises. The utility services lien will be collected by either certifying the unpaid amount to the Auglaize County Treasurer for payment upon the real property tax duplicate or may be foreclosed upon by civil action.
(G) The application for utility services must be accepted on behalf of the village by its officers or duly authorized agent during regular business hours as established by the village, and upon acceptance such application becomes a contract between the applicant and the village and binding upon both. The village will not serve, and may refuse to continue to serve, any consumer who is receiving service but refuses to make a proper application to the village, or who refuses to accept services or to continue conformably with the schedules of the village, which schedules include not only the rates of the village, but the rules and regulations governing its service.
(Ord. 82-2-1, passed 3-2-82; Am. Ord. 05-12-05, passed 2-21-06)