A. Responsibility Of Owner; Change Of Ownership; Transferee Service Fee: The owner of real property shall be liable for payment of all utility bills. All utility bills shall be made out and mailed to the property owner, unless he or she designates otherwise to the city clerk in writing. Notice by an owner that utility bills be mailed to a person other than the owner does not relieve the owner of liability thereof. In the event of change of ownership of property, the transferee shall make application for utilities in his or her name and may have the water turned off if service has not already been discontinued. The application of the transferee shall be accompanied by payment of the service fee for turning on the water if service has previously been disconnected. The transferee shall not be liable for the fee provided in subsection B of this section when the lateral connections have been installed under previous application if the existing meter meets current city requirements.
B. Primary Responsibility And Liability: Any owner of real property renting the same to others shall, as a condition prerequisite to connection and/or recommencement of services upon a change of occupancy, be required to execute a written agreement, in the manner and form prescribed by the city clerk, acknowledging primary responsibility and liability on the part of the owner for utility charges incurred on behalf of the tenant.
C. Written Agreement: The owner of any real property which is served by city utilities, whether owner occupied or rented to another shall, upon initial connection or recommencement of such services, execute a written agreement, in the manner and form prescribed by the city clerk, providing that all charges for city utilities shall constitute a continuing lien upon the premises served thereby, which agreement may be filed of record with the office of the county recorder serving as notice to prospective purchasers or transferees of the obligation of the owner or his/her successor in interest for payment of any outstanding charges. Such written agreement shall constitute a lien upon the premises as hereafter provided in section 9-12-33 of this chapter. (Ord. 659, 9-27-1994)