There is hereby adopted a set of Rules and Regulations for the operation of the Village Utilities and related billing functions, the processing of payments, and the termination of services, which shall read as follows:
VILLAGE OF NEW LONDON
UTILITY RULES AND REGULATIONS
SECTION 100. UTILITY SIGN UP
1. All utility customers must fill out a utility application form. This form can be mailed to you or you can stop in and fill this out in the Village Office. Effective from and after August 28, 2017, applications will only be accepted from property owners. The applicant must provide, at the time of application, acceptable evidence of ownership of the property to be serviced (for example: copy of recorded deed; written notification from a title company/escrow agent, indicating that closing of a sale to applicant is imminent; current tax bill from County Auditor).
2. This form must be filled out before any utility service will be turned on in your name.
3. All utility bills will include four charges: Water, Sewer, Storm Water, and Sanitation. Recycling pick up is a free service offered by the Village.
(Ord. 2019-22. Passed 9-23-19.)
SECTION 100.1 ACCOUNTS
1. To set up an account with the Village of New London the applicant must pay a $5.00 service charge.
2. The owner of the premises served shall be liable for the water service provided at said premises. Water rent shall be a lien on the property supplied, and if not paid as herein provided, the same shall be collected as other taxes and assessments are collected, and the Fiscal Officer is hereby directed to certify to the Auditor of Huron County such delinquent water rents with a description of the premises, and the Auditor shall place the same on the duplicate and collect according to law and certify to the Solicitor such delinquent water rents for collection in a Court of Law in the name of the Village. Any person who owes the Village an outstanding balance will not be able to have water turned on in their name until the balance is paid in full.
SECTION 100.2 UTILITY BILLING PROCEDURES
1. Your Utility bill is mailed to the account address or the address listed on your utility application on the First Day of the month. It is to be paid by the 15th of the month.
2. The Utility bill can be paid as follows:
A. In person, by coming into the office or using the utility payment drop box.
B. By mail
C. Debiting your checking account. An "ACH Charge" will apply.
D. Debit or credit card. NOTE: There will be an additional 2% convenience charge to use your debit or credit card.
3. If the bill is not paid by the 15th of the month, there will be a 10% penalty added.
4. Meters will normally be read on or about the 20th of each month or as close thereto as is practical.
5. Failure to receive your bill does not waive the amount due nor the penalty.
SECTION 100.3 TURN OFF PROCEDURES FOR UTILITIES
1. All delinquent accounts must be paid by the 20th of the month or a disconnection will be made unless the following apply:
A. A payment has been received within the last 30 days, according to a signed payment agreement.
B. A payment agreement has been signed by customer and authorized by Village personnel.
Before a shut off is to occur, the customer will be provided an opportunity for a pretermination hearing before the Administrator and a reasonable time to request such hearing prior to the shut off. (The purpose of such hearing is to confirm that the account is properly in arrears or otherwise subject to shut off; the hearing is not to request additional time or special consideration.)
Monthly statements, and the village website, will notify customers of the following:
• All accounts not paid in full are subject to disconnect if not paid by the 20th of every month.
• No separate delinquency notice or warning will be provided prior to disconnect.
• Shut-offs will be conducted, every month, on the first business day after the 25th of the month.
• Customers may request a pretermination hearing before the Village Administrator, by contacting the Village offices no later than the 22nd day of each month if they contend that their account is not actually in arrears of otherwise subject to shutoff. If a hearing is requested, it will be held at the Village hall on the 23rd of the month, or, if that is not a business day, on the first business day after the 23rd of the month. It may be conducted by the Administrator or his designee. The purpose of such a hearing is not to request additional time or to request special consideration.
2. If no payment agreement is currently in force and if the administrator has not directed otherwise, disconnects for nonpayment will proceed on the 25th of the month; a pink disconnect notice will be hung on the door, and the utilities will be shut off. The Utility employee that is turning the water off is not authorized to accept payment.
3. A service charge of $50.00 will be added to each account that has been set for shutoff.
4. In order for the service to be turned back on the full amount of the bill due must be paid, unless other arrangements have been made with the Village Administrator/ Fiscal Officer or Utilities Clerk, and a payment schedule has been signed.
5. A “turn back on” will only be made during normal regular utility hours (not office hours, but the hours that the utility department works).
6. Emergency Shut Off’s – If for some reason the Village Utility Department notices or finds a leak in a system or needs to do repairs on a line, then they reserve the right to turn the water service off until further arrangements can be made. The Utility Department will try to contact the property owner to inform them why they do not have water service.
SECTION 100.4 NON SUFFICIENT CHECKS.
1. A service charge of $15.00 will be levied for each customer’s check returned to the New London Utilities Office.
2. If the Village receives more than 2 NSF checks in a one year time period for an account, we will no longer accept Personal Checks on that account. It must be paid in cash or by money order, or credit card.
SECTION 100.5 PAYMENT AGREEMENTS
1. For all delinquent accounts, a $50.00 deposit is required. A maximum of three months shall be allowed to catch the account up to date unless otherwise stated by administrator.
2. In addition to the arrears, an additional service charge in the amount of $5.00 will be levied to establish a payment agreement. [This is in addition to the deposits described above or in Section 100.1].
3. Agreements shall not be altered or extended unless approved by the Administrator.
4. Turns offs shall be ordered if agreements are not honored.
5. Payment agreement form is attached.
6. Partial payments tendered without a payment agreement will not stop or delay the collection and shut-off procedures.
7. All persons who make a partial payment in person after the mailing of the second notice shall be required to sign a payment agreement.
8. All persons who mail a partial payment to the Village of New London Utilities department after the second notice has been mailed will receive a letter informing them that their partial payment will not stop or delay the shut off proceedings.
SECTION 200. SANITATION RULES AND REGULATIONS
1. The Village Administrator shall charge each householder $22.36 per month. Persons 65 or older, living alone, will be charged $16.00 per month; for garbage pickup service outside the Village, a charge of $24.40 per month (or $18.04 for persons aged 65 or above, living alone) shall be assessed. A 10% penalty will be added to all bills not paid by the 15th of the month. The Village Administrator will establish rates to be charged for dumpsters, based upon number of pick ups per week and size of dumpsters. A dumpster can be rented for residential extra pick ups or construction by contacting the Village Office at 419-929-4091. Owners of rental property will be charged on the basis of 90% occupancy of said living units. Anyone refusing to report the number of occupancies for which they are responsible will be charged a flat rate of not less than $65.00 per month. ["Householder" means the head of a family, or one maintaining a separate living room or quarters on premises, upon which garbage, or rubbish, or both, is accumulated].
2. Every household or commercial establishment in the Village must use metal or durable plastic containers or plastic bags which are of 32 gallon capacity or less, and when filled weigh no more than 60 pounds. Plastic bags are not to be filled beyond their strength. Containers shall have close fitting lids and are to have handles.
3. All containers of garbage and rubbish must be at the curb line for pick up on schedule route day except when such falls on a holiday. In such event consult your local newspaper or utility bill for the pick up day in your area. Each weekly pick up is limited to 6 bags or 3 – 32 gallon containers. Cartons, paper bags, etc will not be picked up unless they are in cans or bags.
4. No items shall be placed on the tree lawn any earlier than 1 pm on the day preceding the scheduled pick up. All empty containers shall be removed from the tree lawn no later than 8 a.m. of the day following the pick up.
5. Garbage shall be interpreted to mean all but recycle waste, including kitchen wastes, accumulations of animal food, vegetable matter attendant to the preparation, cooking and service of foods. It does not include sewage, body waste, animal offal, and carcasses of dead animals.
6. Rubbish shall be interpreted to mean broken glass, crockery, glossy printed matter, cartons and items of clothing.
7. Construction materials (earth, sand, brick, stone and similar items) will be picked up at the discretion of the Village Administrator or by private haulers. The Administrator will establish the fee to be charged, based upon the type of material and weight.
8. Tree limbs and branches and leaves will be picked up at a cost of $1.00 per minutes. Tires will be picked up at a cost of $1.50 each.
9. Anything with Freon will be picked up at a minimum cost of $5.00 per item plus a charge per weight. The total fee shall be set based on the Village’s actual costs.
10. A spring clean up will be announced sometime in April or May. Branches or leaves will not be considered free during clean up week.
11. It shall be unlawful to deposit any of the above garbage etc anywhere except on your tree lawn on designated pick up days. It is also unlawful to keep garbage, etc for more than 2 consecutive collection dates or to transport garbage over city streets. (except on the way to a landfill in an approved vehicle).
SECTION 300. RULES ARE SUPPLEMENTAL
1. Any fees or charges set forth in these Rules are supplemental to those otherwise set forth in Part Nine of the Codified Ordinances.
2. Any rules or regulations set forth herein are supplemental to those otherwise set forth in Part Nine of the Codified Ordinances.
(Ord. 2017-12. Passed 8-28-17.)