A. Required: No water shall be furnished to any house, tenement, apartment, building, place, premises or lot, whether such water is for the use of the owner or tenant, unless:
1. The application for water is made in writing, signed by such owner or the owner's duly authorized agent;
2. The owner agrees to pay for all water and other utilities furnished by the city according to city ordinance, rules and regulations;
3. Except as provided in subsection F.1.c., the owner provides a personal guarantee or, for service to an owner who is not an individual and who has a meter in excess of one inch (1"), a corporate guarantee; and
4. The application is accompanied by the deposit required under subsection F of this section, if applicable.
B. Contents: The application shall state fully and truly the purpose for which water is required and shall agree to conform to, and be governed by, such ordinance, rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the city for the control of the water supply. The applicant agrees to be responsible for and pay all bills due the city on account of materials or labor furnished and provided in this chapter as well as for all water delivered to the premises.
C. Tenants: In case an application to furnish water shall be made by a tenant of the owner, as a condition of granting the same, such owner or the owner's duly authorized agent must either cosign the application or sign a separate agreement which provides that, in consideration of the granting of such application, the owner will pay for all water furnished such tenant or any other occupant of the place named in the application, in case such tenant or occupant shall fail to pay the same in accordance with the city's ordinances, rules and regulations.
D. Consumption Without Application: If water is consumed on any premises for which an application has not been made, the water supply will be turned off and will not be turned on again until an application for water has been filed and approved, any required deposits provided, and applicable fees for turning off and on have been paid.
E. Temporary Service; Circumstances:
1. The water manager may authorize temporary service without the property owner's signature or guarantee under the following circumstances:
a. An application is made by person residing at or occupying the premises in question;
b. The account for the premises in question is not delinquent or is paid in full by applicant;
c. A deposit is made equal to the reasonably anticipated cost of three (3) months' storm and sanitary sewer, water and refuse service;
d. The manager is satisfied that the utility will not suffer any unreasonable financial risk intended to be mitigated by the owner's signature or guarantee; and
e. The manager reasonably believes that the owner is either unavailable or is refusing to provide a guarantee in order to constructively evict a tenant without due process of law.
2. The required deposit will be refunded only upon receipt of an application, in compliance with subsection A or D of this section, or upon closing of the account after payment of all outstanding charges and fees.
F. Deposits:
1. A deposit shall be required for all metered services from any applicant or customer who:
a. Has not maintained good credit with the utility;
b. Is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity and whose water service is provided through a meter with a size of one inch (1") or smaller; or
c. Declines to personally guarantee the payment of utility fees for water service provided through a meter with a size of one inch (1") or smaller.
2. An applicant or customer will be considered to have not maintained good credit if service to the customer has been shut off for nonpayment or consumption without application or for other violation of city ordinance.
3. The required deposits shall be made on an individual service connection and are based on the size of the meter to the service connection and in the following amounts:
Meter Size (Inches) | Deposit Amount |
5/8 - 1 | $300.00 |
1½ and larger | 3 months average use* |
* Average use is based on the applicable base rate plus the average amount of water used, or projected to be used, determined in accordance with policies and procedures adopted by administrative order | |
4. For a customer with a meter size of one inch or smaller and who is required to post a deposit for not maintaining good credit, if the customer's credit is satisfactory and without further delinquencies at the end of two (2) years, the deposit will be credited to the customer's future utility bills.
5. A required deposit may be paid in up to three equal installments, with the first installment being paid at the time of application for service or at the time water service is restored and subsequent installments being paid with the monthly utility bill.
G. Appeals: Denial of service, termination of service, or billing disputes, including disputes over payments due for storm or sanitary sewer services or refuse services, may be appealed to the water manager within ten (10) days of the denial, date of billing, or notice of the city's intent to disconnect, unless a shorter period of time is indicated in a final notice for disconnection and the city has previously notified the customer of the city's intent to disconnect if payment is not received. Disconnection shall be stayed pending such appeal.
H. Relocation Companies: The water manager may authorize service to a relocation company, who is not the owner of the property, if there are no delinquencies attributable to the existing owner of record and the applicant provides a deposit equal to the reasonably anticipated cost of three (3) months' storm and sanitary sewer, water and refuse service. For purposes of this subsection, "relocation company" refers to a business managing and marketing the sale of a home on behalf of an employer that has assumed responsibility for an employee's home in order to effect a relocation.
(1979 Code §§ 14.08.012, 14.08.070; amd. Ord. 85-1, 1-3-1985; Ord. 90-44, 8-9-1990; Ord. 91-47, 12-5-1991; 1999 Code; Ord. 2004-44, 6-15-2004, eff. 7-1-2004; Ord. 2005-42, 6-14-2005; Ord. 2021-10, 4-6-2021)