(A) Bills for gas service shall be rendered monthly on or before the 15th day of each month. If any bill is not paid in full on or before the fifth day of the following month, it becomes delinquent and an additional charge of 10% of the amount of the bill, but not more than $10, shall be added thereto. If the fifth day of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, payment of the bill may be made on the first business day thereafter.
(B) If the bill of any gas customer remains delinquent for five or more days, the City Clerk shall notify the gas customer and the owner of the property served, if different, in writing by mail, that the gas bill is delinquent and gas service is to be terminated ten days after the day the notice is mailed. The notice specifically shall inform the gas customer of the following:
(1) The customer may contact the City Clerk to request a hearing on the matter;
(2) The request must be made within three working days of mailing of the delinquency and termination notice;
(3) If a request is made, a hearing will be held within five days of the request;
(4) The service will be discontinued within ten days of the mailing of the notice if no request for a hearing is made.
(C) In the event a customer makes a timely request for a hearing for nonpayment of a delinquent gas bill, the City Clerk at the time the request is made, shall advise the person of the time, place and date for the hearing. The hearing shall be conducted by a hearing officer who will be the Mayor or a responsible person appointed by the Mayor. The hearing officer shall examine evidence submitted by the customer and by the City Gas Department and, on the basis thereof, shall make findings a to the status of the customer’s account.
(D) If the findings reached at the hearing are adverse to the customer, they shall be reduced to writing, with a copy thereof to be forwarded to the customer and to the owner of the property served, by certified mail, return receipt requested. The notice also shall contain the date on which service to the customer will be discontinued.
(E) At the time the gas service is to be discontinued, the city employee disconnecting the gas service to the premises shall deliver to any occupant of the premises present, or attach to the premises, a written notice stating the gas service to the premises has been discontinued for the nonpayment of a delinquent gas bill, the time and date that the service was discontinued and that the gas service will not be reconnected until the delinquent bill and any presently due gas bill is paid in full, together with a reconnection fee of $100 for services within the city and 100 for services outside the city, and, where applicable, a gas deposit.
(F) In the event gas service has been dis- continued due to nonpayment of bills, it shall not be re-established until the delinquent bill and any presently due gas bill is paid in full, together with a reconnection charge of $100 for services within the city and $100 for services outside the city and, where applicable, a gas deposit.
(G) Gas service to a residential customer shall not be disconnected for nonpayment of bills when the St. Louis National Weather Service forecast for the following 24 hours forecasts the temperature to be 24°F or lower; nor shall gas service to any customer be discontinued for nonpayment on a Friday or the day before a holiday.
(H) Any delinquency and termination notice provided for in this section may be combined with a delinquency and termination notice pursuant to this code pertaining to operation of the combined Waterworks and Sewerage System of the city.
(Ord. 0-81-3, passed 5-18-81; Am. Ord. 0-86-2, passed 4-7-86; Am. Ord. 0-92-2, passed 4-28-92; Am. Ord. 0-92-15, passed 8-3-92; Am. Ord. 0-96-13, passed 4-1-96; Am. Ord. O-2016-17, passed 10-24-16)