(A) Service fees.
(1) Anyone living in a residence as a renter or owner has to pay a service fee and the bill in their name. The service fee is:
(a) Renters: $300.
(b) Businesses: $300.
(c) Mobiles homes: $300.
(d) Home owners: $25.
(e) Customers outside town limits: 1-1/2 times the regular rate.
(2) Utilities cannot be turned on for rental purposes, if the property owner owes a utility bill at the time.
(3) Permanent utilities will not be turned on in a residence or business until all debris, trash and brush is removed from the site.
(4) (a) Bucket truck (with operator and 1 worker): $50 per hour.
(b) Digger truck (with operator and 1 worker): $50 per hour.
(c) Backhoe (with operator): $45 per hour.
(d) Trash dump truck (town loads trash): $40 per load.
(e) Trash dump truck (customer loads trash): $25 per load.
(f) Minimum of 1 hour per machine.
(5) Anyone requesting the town services and/or utilities, not paying town taxes and not possessing a previously signed contract with the town, shall be charged 1-1/2 times the citizen rate.
(6) Any utility customer not using all of the town services due to their request shall be charged 1-1/2 times the regular rate, including 1-1/2 times for tap fees.
(B) Payment of utility bills; penalty and discontinuance of service for non-payment; reconnection charges.
(1) All utility bills are due and payable by 5:00 p.m. on the tenth of the month, with a 10% penalty due after the tenth. In the event the bill is unpaid after the twenty-fifth of the month, service shall be discontinued unless a written appeal has been filed in accordance with division (C) below.
(2) When any of the due dates for discontinuance of service fall on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, an additional day shall be granted.
(3) A charge of $ 15 will be applied for the first time cut off on the twenty-sixth of the month to all accounts with unpaid services, to offset Department processing costs. Second time cut off fees shall be $25. Third time cut off fees shall be $35. Fourth time and after cut off fees shall be $40.
(C) Opportunity for hearing in case of disputed bills.
(1) In the event a customer disputes the amount or validity of any bill, such customer shall be entitled to a hearing before the Town Cleric/Treasurer after the bill has already been paid, under protest. The hearing may be obtained by written notice to the Clerk/Treasurer by the tenth or the month in which the bill is due. The notice must state the reason for disputing the bill. Any customer aggrieved by a decision of the Clerk/Treasurer shall have the right to appeal the decision to the Town Council by giving a notice of the appeal to the Town Council within five days. All hearings shall be scheduled with reasonable promptness. No service will be discontinued during the pendency of any hearing before the Clerk/Treasurer or the Town Council.
(2) Upon finalization of utility account, in order to obtain future services with the town, all applicable service fees must be paid and account application requirements must be met.
(D) Indebtedness collection. All debts owed to the town shall be collected in the manner provided by law.
(E) Prohibition to reside or occupy without water. It shall be unlawful for a person to reside in a dwelling or operate a firm or corporation as long as the water is disconnected.
(F) Individual metering. All dwelling units classified as separate dwelling units must be metered individually. This includes all apartment units.
(G) Town’s liability limits. The town will not be responsible for damages occurring between the service meters and the premises being served. Service will be maintained where possible and reasonable, however, the town cannot be responsible for failure of service due to circumstances beyond its control. Any interruption of service, for whatever reason, will be remedial and service restored as quickly as possible.
(H) (1) The town hereby imposes an administrative fee in the amount of $25 to defray its internal costs of collection for any delinquent debts that are sought to be collected pursuant to the provisions of the Setoff Debt Collection Act, S.C. Code §§ 12-56-10 et seq. This fee is hereby declared to be a collection cost that arises by operation of law and shall be added to the delinquent debt and recovered from the debtor.
(2) The town hereby declares that the administrative fee charged by the Municipal Association of South Carolina is also a collection cost to the city/town, which shall also be added to the delinquent debt and recovered from the debtor.
(Am. Ord. passed 4-5-1988; Am. Ord. passed 5-29-1990; Am. Ord. passed 8-21-1990; Am. Ord. passed 6-13-1991; Am. Ord. passed 3-17-1992; Am. Ord. passed 3-1-1998; Am. Ord. 99-010, passed 12- 21-1999; Am. Ord. 99-011, passed 12-21-1999; Am. Ord. passed 7-20-2004; Am. Ord. passed 8-15-2006; Am. Ord. passed 10-30-2006; Am. Ord. passed 6-19-2018)