(A) (1) If service is disconnected, or if disconnection is proposed, due to a customer’s nonpayment of service charges for a consumer household, an adult consumer of utility services in said household shall have the right to avoid disconnection, or obtain reconnection, if the consumer pays a $75 deposit and assumes written responsibility for timely payment of future charges for service provided the household at the service address.
(2) Consumer assumption does not relieve the customer of contractual liability for charges incurred. The assumption obligation shall terminate upon the consumer’s delivery to the city of a written notice canceling that assumption.
(B) This section does not apply to any customer concerning any service address in which resides the customer obligated for payment of the account for that service address. However, in circumstances in which one meter serves more than one service address, consumer households will not be penalized in any way or denied the benefit of this provision, because the defaulting customer’s benefitted unit might also benefit from a continuation or restoration of service.
(C) (1) The city shall not refuse to furnish utility service and/or propose to or disconnect utility service to any customer or consumer household on account of arrearages due the city for utility services furnished to persons formerly receiving services at the same premises, provided the customers obligated on that delinquent account do not continue to reside at such premises.
(2) Applicants who are denied utility service shall be notified of that decision, and the reason for it, by use of the form attached as “Exhibit 2” to the enabling ordinance, at the time of the denial. No consumer of utility may be denied services because of, or billed for or required to pay for utility services furnished on the account of another individual, except to the extent of any assumption obligation previously assumed by that consumer pursuant to this section.
(Prior Code, § 5.03.24.02)