(A) It is the policy of the municipality to discontinue utility service to customers by reason of nonpayment of bills only after notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard on disputed bills. Furthermore, the municipality shall not discontinue utility service to customers whose total delinquency is less than $5.
(1) The municipality’s utility service bill shall be sent on the first day of the billing month or as expeditiously thereafter as possible and shall contain the following information:
(a) The “Net Amount” due by the thirtieth day of the billing month;
(b) The “Gross Amount After” date that represents the date after which a 10% delinquency charge will be added to the net amount to equal the gross amount;
(c) The “Gross Amount” due after the thirtieth day of the billing month that represents the net amount plus the 10% delinquency charge;
(d) An explanation that the 10% delinquency charge will be added to the net amount in the event that payment is not received on or before the thirtieth day of the month;
(e) The place, address, phone number and office hours where payment may be made; and,
(f) The right of the customer to question said bill to the Municipal Manager or his or her designee for proper and correct billing.
(2) For those customers who fail to pay the net amount on or before the thirtieth day of the month, the municipality shall send a delinquency notice on the first day after the thirtieth day or as expeditiously as possible, provided, however, no delinquency notice shall be sent for any amount that is equal to or less than the amount of postage required to send the notice. A delinquency notice, if sent, shall contain the following information:
(a) The “Final Service Date” after which, if payment has not been made, service will be discontinued until such time as any and all delinquent payments and other charges are brought current and which shall equal the sixteenth day of the month following the thirtieth day of the billing month;
(b) The “Amount Now Due,” which shall equal the gross amount due and shall include the 10% delinquency charge but may not necessarily include any reconnection fee, as stipulated in § 51.04;
(c) A statement declaring the account delinquent and explaining that service will be disconnected without further notice unless payment is received on or before the final service date; and,
(d) Any customer disputing the correctness of the customer’s bill shall have the right to a hearing at which time the customer may be represented in person and by counsel or any other person of the customer’s choosing and may present orally or in writing the customer’s complaint and contentions to the Municipal Manager or the Municipal Manger’s designee. The Municipal Manager or the Municipal Manger’s designee shall be authorized to order that the customer’s service not be discontinued and shall have the authority to make a final determination of the customer’s complaint.
(B) Requests for delays or waiver of payment will not be entertained; only questions of proper and correct billing will be considered. In the absence of payment of the bill rendered or resort to the hearing procedure provided herein, service will be discontinued at the time specified, but in no event until the charges have been due and unpaid for at least 30 days.
(C) When it becomes necessary for the municipality to discontinue utility service to a customer for nonpayment of bills, service will be reinstated only after all bills for service then due have been paid, along with the turn-on charge established in § 51.04.
(D) When the municipality deems that, due to the volume of potential disconnections, disconnections cannot be completed within one business day and the final service date falls on a Thursday or the second to last business day before a weekend, said disconnections shall not be made until the first business day following the weekend after the final service date. When the municipality deems that, due to the volume of potential disconnections, disconnections can be completed by the end of one business day after the final service date but that date falls on a Friday or the last business day before a weekend, said disconnections shall not be made until the first business day following the weekend after the final service date.
(Am. Ord. 2000-21, passed 8-1-00; Am. Ord. 2002-20, passed 10-1-02)