No person, except an authorized agent of the city, shall be allowed to set the meters as mentioned in this chapter, or to make connections to the electric service of the city. The owner or tenant of premises where a meter is located shall provide ready and convenient access to the meter so that it may easily be examined and read by the city or its authorized agents. Any customer of electric current from the city has the right to request the city to test his or her meter any reasonable number of times, and the city or its agents shall comply with the request, subject to such reasonable rules and regulations as the city may adopt. The city reserves the right to test and replace any meter in use at any time. The city will keep clean and in proper repair and will replace without cost to customer any service meter where the repair or replacement results from ordinary wear and tear and not from the wilful negligence or recklessness of customer. In consideration of the service rendered or to be rendered in the matter or repairing or replacing the meter, the applicant or customer specifically consents and agrees to keep all service meters and service wires insured for the benefit of city against fire or other casualty and hereby designates the Utilities Manager as his or her agent or attorney in fact to collect from the insurance carrier, in the event of the loss or destruction of the meter or service wire by fire or other casualty, from the proceeds payable to customer out of any policy of insurance in which he or she is made beneficiary affecting the premises where the meter or service wire is located, the reasonable value of the meter or service wire, and deduct the value from payment to be made to the insured under the policy; provided that, if the customer carries no insurance on the premises or contents of the premises or place where the meter is set, the customer hereby consents and agrees to reimburse the city for the reasonable value of such meter or service wire in the event of destruction by fire or other casualty.
(Prior Code, § 52-42)