A. Application: Application for any municipal utility services or uses, including potable water, sanitary sewer, solid waste collection and disposal and/or electric (collectively referred to as “municipal utility services”) requested pursuant to this title shall be made in writing to the finance department. Every application shall contain a unilateral agreement by the applicant to abide by and accept all of the provisions of this title as conditions governing the use of and/or service from the city’s utility services. The applicant must sign the application and show a picture ID to verify age.
B. Termination: The person in whose name the municipal utility services are provided must notify the city with the date to terminate services. This notification can be in person, by phone, email or in writing. A minimum notice of one business day is required. Customers shall be liable for utility services used for a minimum of one business day after the date of notice.
C. Service Deposits/Activation Fees:
1. Amount Of Deposit:
a. If the resident is not the owner of public record of a residential property to which municipal utility services are to be provided, that resident is required to pay a deposit to obtain services. The deposit shall be collected at the time of application for service.
b. Deposit fees are:
For an electric customer with natural gas | $100.00 |
For all electric (no natural gas) | $150.00 |
For water | $50.00 |
For customers that only have sewer or garbage services | $25.00 |
c. Non-owners of record conducting business in a commercial building are required to pay a deposit predetermined by the finance department which would be equivalent to one (1) months’ service.
d. All deposits are held and applied to the final bill.
2. Return Of Deposit: Customers can receive their deposits back under the following circumstances:
a. After a period of two (2) consecutive years of satisfactory payment history with no outstanding account balance, any deposit balance shall be returned to the customer without interest, upon written request by customer.
b. Upon termination of all utility services, the deposit will be applied to the final bill. Any balance shall be returned to the customer without interest within 30 days. In an instance where real property has been abandoned and there is an unpaid, delinquent account, the deposit shall be forfeited to the city as an administrative termination service fee and the unpaid account balance shall remain due, owing and subject to collection.
c. The director of finance may authorize an increased deposit amount for customers with past poor payment history. The deposit shall not exceed the average of four (4) months billing.
D. Activation Fee: A thirty-five dollar ($35.00) new activation fee will be added to the first monthly billing for all new tenants and new owners, pursuant to the application process as identified above.
E. Billing Adjustments:
1. Customers are responsible for all metered electric and water usage without exception. In the instance of a large non-sewer water leak, customers may complete a sewer abatement request form with the finance department. Adjustments may be granted by the finance director based on the situation and evidence provided.
2. The city is not obligated to provide utility adjustments for services rendered. If billing errors are made by the city, the city will issue credits to correct the past six (6) months only.
F. Special Sewer Program: This program is available to customers who use an excessive amount of outside water that is not collected or treated by the city’s sanitary sewer system. By paying an annual fee of $60 and signing up for the program, the city will freeze sewer costs from April 1 through November 30 by capping the usage billed based on the customer’s winter average, calculated per the reading dates from December 1 through March 30. This is an annual program that customers must sign up and pay for each year.