(A) In addition to the required meter deposit, any utility customer whose premises to be served by said utility lie outside the corporate boundary of the town shall be required to pay, prior to connection to service, a gas utility availability fee of $4 per lineal foot of gas main length serving said property.
(B) All connections/taps to the utility’s gas mains for gas service shall be made by, and under the direct supervision of, the town’s Gas Utility Superintendent or designated personnel.
(C) When a connection/tap is to be made pursuant to new construction or remodeling, a copy of the building permit issued by the Area Planning Commission or Building Inspector shall be furnished to the town prior to the connection/tap being made. In addition, the owner of the affected real estate shall grant an easement in proper form to the town for said gas service.
(D) All gas meters shall be installed outside the customer’s premises in a location and in a manner as determined by the town’s Gas Utility Superintendent. Refusal to abide by this provision shall be grounds to deny gas service to the customer.
(E) Gas utility employees shall have the right to inspect, at any reasonable time and upon notice to the customer, all service on and to the customer’s premises and shall have the right to enter any building or structure for such purpose. In the event a gas leak is suspected, and if requested by the customer, a representative of the utility may enter the premises in an attempt to locate said leak; however, said representative may not perform any work on property located on the customer’s side of the meter, but may only light pilot lights. Should a leak develop in the customer’s service line, service will be shut off at the meter and “red-tagged”, and the meter will be locked by the town gas personnel. Service shall not be reconnected until a properly qualified person has certified to the town that said leak has been properly repaired. In the event the main distribution system is disconnected because of accident or other reason, gas utility personnel may enter the customer’s premises and, if requested by customer, may relight pilot lights. The town gas employee shall file a gas leak report with the Clerk-Treasurer pursuant to state and federal pipeline safety requirements and insurance procedures.
(F) Gas service lines that supply two or more gas customers shall have a separate shut-off valve and a separate meter for each customer. Each customer shall be issued a separate billing pursuant to adopted gas utility rates and charges.
(G) Service lines, which connect the customer’s premises to the utility’s gas main, shall not serve more than one property owner and shall not cross property boundary lines. Each lot or parcel of real estate shall be served separately by one service line from the utility’s distribution main.
(H) Connections/taps to the utility’s gas main shall consist of a shut-off valve located between the distribution main and the meter, and the gas meter. Gas service may not be turned off and on at the shut-off valve in front of the meter unless by the town municipal gas utility personnel.
(I) The town shall have responsibility for maintaining all service lines and equipment from the utility’s distribution main to, and including, the customer’s meter. The customer shall have the responsibility for maintaining all service lines and equipment from the utility’s meter to, and including, the customer’s premises. In no event may gas utility personnel perform any work on gas appurtenances located on the customer’s side of the meter.
(J) Main extensions to new customers, including businesses, industries, commercial enterprises, and housing developments, shall be made at the expense of the customer, user, business, builder, or developer, unless the town determines that such service extension to new customers would generate sufficient revenue to the gas utility to make the cost of said extensions economically feasible to the town and in the best interests of the municipal gas utility and the town.
(K) Main extensions to residential areas, industries, commercial businesses, or other development areas not previously served by the utility shall be made pursuant to the direction and control of the town. The size of the distribution main and the material from which the mains are to be constructed shall be approved by the town Gas Utility Superintendent prior to installation, but in no event shall the distribution main be less than two inches in diameter.
(L) Covering up, paving over, enclosing, or in any way interfering with or damaging a distribution main, service line, meter, and any appurtenances thereto is strictly forbidden.
(M) Connections/taps of service lines to the gas utility’s distribution main requires payment of a connection/tap fee of $350 or the actual cost of making the connection/tap, including materials and labor, whichever sum is greater. The Town Council shall periodically establish a charge per lineal foot for such work. Connection/tap fees shall be paid prior to gas service being turned on and provided by the utility.
(Ord. 2008-1, passed 1-8-2008; Ord. 2015-2, passed 10-20-2015) Penalty, see § 52.99