A. Upon failure of any customer to pay any part of a utility bill submitted by the City for any utility services pursuant to subsection 9-1-2B of this chapter by the tenth day of the month following the month when the service was rendered, the following actions and penalties may result:
1. A ten percent (10%) penalty of all amounts owing on a utility bill may be added to any utility bill which is not paid by the tenth of the month following the month when the service was rendered; and
2. If the bill remains unpaid as of the twentieth day of the month following the month when the service was rendered, then the following actions may result:
a. The authorized agents of the City may disconnect or discontinue any or all utility services to the customer after providing written notice to the customer of the intent of the City to disconnect or discontinue any or all of the utility services;
b. The authorized agents of the City, upon direction of the City Council, may discontinue furnishing water to any customer refusing or neglecting to pay all or any part of a utility bill submitted after mailing written notice to the customer of the intent of the City to disconnect the water service.
3. If any utility service is discontinued or disconnected pursuant to this section, the City, or its agents, shall not reconnect or reestablish the service until the full amount of any outstanding utility service bill is paid, plus the penalty provided in this section, plus any applicable charges or expenses in reconnecting or reestablishing the service.
B. If City personnel goes to the premises to shut off the service and the occupant pays the City personnel prior to his shutting off the service, there shall be added to the bill a sum as set by the City Council by motion or resolution for the trip made by the City personnel to shut off such services. All bills, penalties and fees collected as hereinabove specified shall be paid over to the City Clerk. Nothing herein shall be construed as preventing the City from instituting suit for the recovery of any delinquent accounts.
C. The City Clerk may not accept payment of a water bill without payment of the sewer service charge, nor shall the Clerk accept payment of a sewer bill without payment of the water bill. The failure to pay any utility bill in accordance with subsections A and B of this section shall be grounds for discontinuing any or all of the utility services furnished to the customer whose bill is delinquent.
(Prior Code § 17-103)
D. A collection fee of thirty five percent (35%) of utility penalties and fees in cases in which the consumer has failed to satisfy a monetary obligation by the City shall be added to any such case which is referred to a collection agency for collection.
(Ord. 315-19, 1-14-2019)