§ 51.01 ELECTRICAL SERVICE GENERALLY; PROVISIONS CONSTITUTE CONTRACT WITH CONSUMER.

   The city shall furnish electric current for light, heating, cooking, power and other purposes to persons within its service area whose premises abut on any supply wire of the electric distribution system of the city, and may furnish electric current to such other persons within or without its corporate limits as and when, according to law, and on such reasonable terms as, the city may see fit to do so. The rules, regulations and rates for electric service set out in this chapter shall be deemed and considered a part of every application hereafter made for electric service to the city and shall be considered a part of the contract with every customer now served by the city. Without further formality, the making of application on the part of any applicant for the use or consumption of electrical energy by present consumers thereof and the furnishing of electric service to the applicant or customer by the city shall constitute a contract between the applicant or customer and the city, to which contract both parties are bound. If the customer shall violate any of the provisions of the contract or any reasonable rules and regulations that the city may hereafter adopt, the Utilities Manager, or his or her agent, shall cut off or disconnect the electric service from the building or place of the violation, and no further connection for electric service to the building or place shall again be made, except by order of the Utilities Manager or his or her agent.

(Prior Code, § 52-31)

§ 51.02 RATES.

   The city shall, from time to time, recommend electrical rates to be charged to the customers of the city’s Light and Water Department. The Council shall approve the rates recommended before the city shall put them into effect. Upon approval of these rates by the City Council, the rates shall be placed on file with the City Clerk.

(Prior Code, § 52-32)

§ 51.03 APPLICATION FOR SERVICE.

   Every person desiring a supply of electric current shall make application therefor to the city upon blanks to be furnished for that purpose, which application shall be made to the Utilities Manager in the city’s Water and Light Building. The application shall state truly and fully all the uses to which the electric current is to be applied, and no additional use will be allowed except by permission of the city or the Utilities Manager.

(Prior Code, § 52-33)

§ 51.04 SERVICE CONNECTION; DEPOSIT.

   (A)   Overhead service wires. When an application shall be made for electric service to the city and accepted by the Utilities Manager, the city will run or cause to be run overhead service wires, when the service is available, to the customer’s attachment at the nearest reasonable location on the building or pole of the applicant or customer, and thereafter will keep the service wires in good repair and safe condition at the expense of the city. The wires for overhead service shall be considered the property of the city.

   (B)   Underground service wires. If the customer requests underground service, the service wires shall be the property of the customer and the customer shall be responsible for keeping the underground service wires in good repair and in a safe condition.

   (C)   Deposit. Applicants for electric service shall be required to accompany their application with a service deposit, to ensure the prompt payment of electric service bills and other charges, in an amount in each case as the Manager shall determine, taking into consideration the volume of service and the type of meter necessary to measure the volume of service under conditions acceptable to the manager. A financial guarantee bond may be substituted in lieu of the required cash deposit. All meters and instrument transformers required for measuring electric current used by the applicant or customer shall be furnished, shall be set in place and shall remain the property of the city. All service deposits shall be managed by the city and shall be refunded to the customer when service is no longer desired, subject to conditions as provided in this chapter. Not more than 1 house or building shall be supplied from 1 connection except by special permission.

(Prior Code, § 52-34)

§ 51.05 TAMPERING WITH METER.

   No electric service customer shall be permitted to take current for residence or commercial lighting purposes at power rates, nor shall any lighting apparatus be attached or suffered to remain attached to any power meter. It shall be unlawful for any person to employ any scheme, device or contrivance for the purpose of evading the proper service and registration of any meter or to employ any scheme or device whereby he or she may obtain current which does not pass through the meter furnished him or her by the city. Finding lighting apparatus attached to a power meter or any device in or near any meter which causes the meter to register incorrectly shall be prima facie evidence of the intent of the occupier of the premises, or of the customer, to convert electric current to his or her own use, which is hereby declared unlawful and the person convicted of the violation shall be punished as provided in this chapter. If it shall appear to the city that any light or power meter shall have been tapped or tampered with, it is hereby empowered to direct the Utilities Manager to install or cause to be installed, at the customer’s expense, a meter installed in iron conduit mechanically sealed in a closed meter box accessible only to the city or its agents.

(Prior Code, § 52-35) Penalty, see § 51.99

§ 51.06 ACCESS TO PREMISES.

   The Utilities Manager, or his or her agents, shall have access at all reasonable hours to premises in which electric current is being used to determine if it is being carried, distributed and used in the proper manner.

(Prior Code, § 52-36)