(A) Billing and collection. The Clerk-Treasurer shall be directly responsible for the billing and collection of rates and charges of the Monticello Water and Sewage Utilities. Pursuant to IC 36-4-10-7(c), the Clerk-Treasurer shall appoint those employees who are responsible for such billing and collection, which employees shall serve at the Clerk-Treasurer's pleasure.
(B) Billing adjustments.
(1) Appropriate adjustments shall be made for billing errors on part of the Utility Office. One billing adjustment due to a sudden and accidental water leak per customer may be approved within a 24 month period. The account adjustment may be made for up to a maximum of 30 consecutive days limited to within portions of up to two billing cycles. Property owner/tenant/representative must apply for the adjustment, in person, to the Board of Public Works within 30 days of a customer's receipt of its monthly utility bill unless it can show there are extenuating circumstances (i.e. sickness, vacations, etc.). The consumption spike must be higher than 25% of the average utility bill from the prior 12 months. The leak must be repaired prior to the approval of an adjustment. If the source of a leak or excessive water usage is due to theft or vandalism, the customer must report the theft or vandalism to the police. A copy of the police report must be submitted with the application for a water leak adjustment in a timely manner. Should the customer or party in control of the property fail to repair the leak within a reasonable time period, as determined by the city, no adjustment will be granted. Customer or personal representative must present their case to the Board of Works, either in person or virtually. If an adjustment is approved the next opportunity for an adjustment by the same customer would be after two years. Example: If the approval date is 9-1-23, next opportunity for an adjustment would be 9-2-25. No refund checks will be issued for approved account adjustments.
(2) Other billing adjustments, including incorrect tariff applications, may be adjusted to the known date of error or for a period of one year, whichever period is shorter.
(3) Discounted utility use shall be considered on a case-by-case basis for users that contribute more than 5% of the average dry-weather flow to the utility, if supported by sufficient verifiable data provided by the user to support a billing adjustment agreement, after review by the Utility Superintendent and approval by the Board of Public Works and Safety. Utility adjustments shall be prohibited relating to lawn and garden watering, sprinklers, pool filling, or other discounted uses except for those billing adjustments set forth in this section.
(Ord. 01-02, passed 5-7-01; Am. Ord. 2002-05, passed 7-1-02; Am. Res. 2012-02, passed 6-18-12; Am. Ord. 2019-15, passed 12-16-19; Am. Ord. 2023-05, passed 6-19-23)