(A) Accounts in name of owner. All accounts shall be carried in the name of the owner. The owner shall be liable for water supplied to his or her property, whether he or she is occupying the property or not, and any charges unpaid shall be a lien upon the property.
(B) Bills for service. Water and sewer service charges shall be billed together. Bills shall be mailed to the customers monthly and shall specify the water consumed and the sewer and water charges in accordance with the rates set out in this chapter.
(C) Delinquent accounts.
(1) All charges for water and sewer service shall be due on the monthly due date specified by the city for the respective account and shall be delinquent 15 days thereafter. The city shall endeavor to collect delinquent accounts promptly. In any case, where satisfactory arrangements for payment have not been made, the Public Works Department may, after the procedural requirements of division (D) below have been complied with, discontinue service to the delinquent customer by shutting off the water at the stop box. When water service to any premises has been discontinued, service shall not be restored except upon the payment of all delinquent bills and reconnection fee according to the city’s fee schedule. Delinquent accounts shall be certified to the City Administrator-Treasurer who shall prepare an assessment roll each year providing for assessment of the delinquent amounts against the respective properties served. The assessment roll shall be delivered to the Council for adoption on or before November 1 each year for certification to the County Auditor for collection along with taxes. Such action optional and may be subsequent to taking legal action to collect delinquent accounts.
(2) Notice to property owners affected by a delinquent utility bill will occur 75 days after the last day a utility bill can be paid without penalty after the fifteenth of each month.
(D) Procedure for shut off of service.
(1) Water shall not be shut off under division (C) above or for a violation of rules and regulations affecting utility service until notice and an opportunity for a hearing have first been given the occupant of the premises involved. The notice shall be personally served or by mail to last known resident and shall state that if payment is not made before a day stated in the notice but not less than ten days after the date on which the notice is given, the water supply to the premises will be shut off. The notice shall also state that the occupant may, before such date, demand a hearing on the matter, in which case the supply will not be cut off until after the hearing is held. If the customer requests a hearing before the date specified, a hearing shall be held on the matter by the City Council at least one week after the date on which the request is made. If as a result of the hearing, the City Council finds that the amount claimed to be owing is actually due and unpaid and that there is no legal reason why the water supply of the delinquent customer may not be shut off in accordance with the ordinance, the city may shut off the supply.
(2) Residents having a delinquent utility bill of 45 days will receive a delinquent letter. The resident will have until the fifth business day after receiving the certified letter to pay the utility bill in full. If the resident has not paid the utility bill in full before the fifth business day following receipt of the letter, the resident will have the water services shut off. To restore the resident’s utilities, the resident must pay the utility bill in full including the current month, pay a reconnection fee and a penalty as stated in the city’s fee schedule. After the second disconnect, the resident must pay an additional $200 penalty.
(3) Notice will occur 45 days after the last day a utility bill can be paid without penalty (fifteenth of each month) or 60 days from the time the bill is sent. Ten days after sending of the notice, water service can be shut off (total delinquency: 70 days).
(4) Initial notice of delinquency occurs at the time an account reaches over 15 days old and shows up right on the monthly bill as a late fee.
(2009 Code, § 401.05) (Ord. passed 12-14-1998; Ord. passed 3-24-2008) Penalty, see § 10.99