(A) Prepayments. All moneys previously received by the municipality as prepayments shall continue to be reflected on the user’s account as a prepayment until the user vacates the premises, at which time it shall be applied to the final bill, as regulated by division (B) below or, should the user elect to do so, the prepayment may be credited to the fee established by § 51.040 of this chapter when the user elects to have a meter with remote installed on the premises.
(B) Application of prepayment funds.
(1) The prepayment for water service made to the municipality as provided for by division (A) above and paid prior to the installation of the water meter shall be applied to the final utility bill of the person prepaying the money whenever the person shall vacate the premises and the water service is disconnected and the meter returned in good condition and not damaged and there has been no election to have the prepayment credited to the fee established by § 51.040 of this chapter.
(2) Should the amount of the prepayment exceed the amount of the final bill for water service, the difference shall be returned to the person prepaying the money; provided that, there are no delinquent or unpaid water or other utility bills or charges accumulated to the date of the termination of such service.
(3) If there are unpaid bills or charges, these must first be deducted from the prepayment.
(4) Whenever any consumer shall become delinquent in payment of any utility bill, the municipality shall be entitled to deduct from the prepayment the amount of the unpaid bill and may discontinue service to the customer until the depleted prepayment sum shall be increased to the original amount required under this chapter.
(5) The liability of the municipality for the return of the prepayment, however, shall be limited to the funds that are available in the Water Department and shall not constitute a general obligation of the municipality.
(6) If an owner shall sell or transfer the premises to another person and fail to apply for the refund, the purchaser thereof shall be entitled to the return of the prepayment in lieu of the original applicant upon satisfactory proof of transfer of title and possession of the premises at least six months prior to application for the refund or if the prior owner shall have failed to apply for the refund. The refund, however, shall be subject to all other restrictions of this chapter.
(Prior Code, § 906.13)