(A) The city hereby establishes a budget payment plan for the users of the gas system. Persons may avail themselves of this plan by making application to the City Clerk on a form especially for that purpose. The form shall be approximately as follows:
“APPLICATION FOR BUDGET PLAN
FOR GAS USERS
No. Date 20
I hereby make application to the City of Pittsfield for the budget payment plan for . It is understood that I will be billed for the utility in equal monthly payments as noted below, starting with the next monthly bill. It also is understood and agreed that if the payments agreed upon seem to be grossly miscalculated, they may be adjusted by the City Clerk upon ten days notice.
It is further understood and agreed that in May each year the Clerk shall review the payments, and, if there is any amount due the city, it shall be billed on the May bill as well as the readjusted budget amount for the next year. If there is a balance due the user, it shall be allowed on the May bill.
Signed:
Amount of payment: $
(The application form shall provide a space for the date and the amount of annual adjustments.)
(B) The Clerk shall file all budget applications, with account numbers, in a post binder properly marked “Budget Payment Accounts” and shall so note on the customer billing ledger sheet and the amount.
(C) The Clerk shall compute the estimated amount for a whole year in advance. In the event the application is filed later than May, the Clerk shall take into consideration the time elapsed after May 1 in order to establish a realistic estimate.
(D) Only applicants for budget payments who are property owners and who have a good record for prompt payment of utilities bills shall be approved for budget payments under this section.
(E) Any person applying for and receiving the budget form of payment plan and who refuses to abide by the terms of this section or who shall become delinquent, shall have his or her services discontinued until all accounts with the city have been paid in full, including a reconnection charge as established from time to time by the City Council for each service disconnected.
('74 Code, § 27-4) (Ord. 575, passed 9-4-56)