(A) The monthly charge for water and sewer services shall be as established in Chapter 34 of this Code.
(B) Accounts. All accounts shall be carried in the name of the owner who personally, or by his or her authorized agent, applied for such service. The owner shall be liable for water and sewer services supplied to the property, whether he or she is occupying the property or not, and any unpaid charges shall be a lien upon the property.
The charges fixed herein for water and sewer services shall be entered in their respective amounts on the utility bill. The City may discontinue all utility services, including water and sewer, for failing to pay any assessed charges and until the charges have been paid in full under conditions and procedures detailed in § § 54.03.
(A) Discontinuance of Service: The City reserves the right to discontinue service to any customer of the water and sanitary sewer system without notice when necessary for repairs, additional connection or reconnection, for nonpayment of charges or bills, or for disregard of any rules or regulations in connection with the use or operation of such system. Whenever any service has been discontinued for nonpayment of the charges or bills, for disregard of any rules or regulations, or for any other purpose, it shall not be resumed except upon payment of the charges or bills accrued, together with interest thereon, or upon compliance with the rules and regulations previously violated and payment to the City of a restoration fee established in the City’s fee ordinance.
(B) Delinquent Bills; Lien: In the event a water or sewer bill is unpaid at the end of the calendar quarter or the billing period under which the billing is sent out, the billing shall be considered delinquent, the service may be discontinued as provided in subsection (A) of this Section, and the City Council may cause the charges noted in such billing to become a lien against the property served by certifying to the County Auditor the amount of such delinquent bill in accordance with the Statutes of the State.
(C) Any customer disputing the correctness of a bill shall have a right to a hearing at which time they may present orally or in writing their complaint and contentions to the City Council. The City Council shall be authorized to order that the customer's service not be discontinued and shall have the authority to make a final determination of the customer's complaint.
(D) Requests for delays or waiver of payment will not be entertained; only questions of proper and correct billing will be considered. In the absence of payment of the bill rendered or resort to the hearing procedure provided herein, service will be discontinued at the time specified, but in no event until the charges have been due and unpaid for at least 30 days.
Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 216B.097, no service of a residential customer shall be disconnected if the disconnection affects the primary heat source for the residential unit when the disconnection would occur during the period between October 15 and April 15, the customer has declared inability to pay on forms provided by the City, the household income of the customer is at or below 50% of the state median household income as documented by the customer to the City, and the customer’s account is current for the billing period immediately prior to October 15, or the customer has entered into a payment schedule and is reasonably current with payments under the schedule.
As provided for by Minn. Stat. § 444.075, Subd. 3e, the City Clerk, annually or more frequently as directed by Council, shall prepare a list of delinquent charges to be certified for payment as taxes. The list of delinquent charges shall be delivered to the City Council for adoption. All persons who have delinquent charges included in the list shall be notified and given a chance to appear before the Council before the list is adopted. In the event the delinquency involves rental property, notice shall be given to the record owner of the property in addition to the tenant or other parties in possession and he or she given a chance to appear before the Council. Upon adoption, the City Clerk shall certify the unpaid charges to the County Auditor for collection as other taxes are collected. This action may be optional or subsequent to taking other legal action to collect delinquent charges, and shall not preclude the City or its agents from recovery of the delinquent charges and interest under any other available remedy, and shall not preclude the disconnection for late payment provided for in this chapter.