(A) Bills.
(1) Refuse collection service charges shall be payable monthly. The owner of the premises, the occupant thereof and the user of the service shall be jointly and severally liable to pay for the service to such premises and the service is furnished to the premises by the city only upon the condition that the owner of the premises, occupant and user of the service are jointly and severally liable therefor to the city.
(2) All refuse collection bills are due and payable within 15 calendar days after being rendered. A penalty of 10% shall be added to all bills not paid by the fifteenth calendar day after they have been rendered.
(3) A monthly service charge, the equivalent of 1.5% of the unpaid balance (not including prior service charges) shall be added to all unpaid bills beginning on the thirtieth day after the bill has been rendered and every 30 days thereafter.
(B) Delinquent bills. If the charges for such services are not paid within 90 days after the rendition of the bill for service, the City Clerk and the City Attorney shall begin lien proceedings in accordance with division (C) below. In addition thereto, the City Clerk and Finance Director may submit delinquent accounts over 90 days old to a collection agency for further services and efforts in an attempt to collect said delinquent accounts. The City Clerk and Finance Director are hereby authorized to enter in a contract with a credit collection agency upon the terms and conditions agreed upon by the City Clerk, Finance Director and credit collection agency. Further, in the event that such delinquent accounts cannot be collected by the credit collection agency and the amounts of the delinquent accounts are less than one $100, the City Clerk, Finance Director and a member of the City Council appointed by the Mayor may determine to take no further efforts to collect said delinquent account and may “write off” said delinquent accounts.
(C) Lien, notice of delinquency. Whenever a bill for refuse collection service remains unpaid for 90 days for monthly service after it has been rendered, the City Clerk may file with the County Recorder of Deeds a statement of lien claim. This statement shall contain the legal description of the premises served, the amount of the unpaid bill and a notice that the city claims a lien for this amount as well as for all charges subsequent to the period covered by the bill including accrued penalties, monthly service charges and recording fees.
(1974 Code, § 6-2-13) (Ord. 9-90-6, passed 9-11-1990)