(A) Meter Required: All premises supplied with water by the Village shall have water meters installed thereon. Such meters shall be of the kind designated from time to time by the Board of Trustees of the Village.
(B) Test And Installation: All water meters shall be thoroughly tested by or under the direction of the Village Manager before being put in place and shall have two (2) working shutoffs attached: one for the inlet and one for the outlet. All installations or repairs of water meters shall be made under the direction and to the satisfaction of the Village Manager.
(C) Meter Out Of Order; Repair or Replacement:
1. If the meter on any premises is out of order, the occupant of said premises shall immediately notify the Village Manager of this fact. The Village Manager, on receipt of such notice or upon learning otherwise that any meter is out of order or not registering properly, shall secure the repair of such meter, or, if necessary, the installation of a new meter as soon as may be practicable.
2. The owner shall pay for the cost of replacement of out of order water meters and also for the cost of repairs to water meters required because of damage caused by frost, hot water, negligent or improper act of the owner or other occupant consumer. Otherwise, the cost of repairs shall be paid for by the Village.
(D) Tampering With Meter; Unauthorized Connections: No person shall be permitted to install or modify a water service connection to a Village water main, or to bypass, tamper, test, repair, remove, relocate or in any way interfere with any water meter, proportional, indicating or recording device, installed in any building, structure or premises for the control of the water supply thereto, excepting under authority granted by the Village Manager. The owner of the building, structure or premises for which such meter is installed, or the person in possession, charge or control thereof, shall be held responsible for any unauthorized connections, tampering and interference, and the water supply to such building, structure or premises shall be shut off, and shall not again be permitted to be turned on until such owner or person shall have paid to the Village the cost and expense of shutting off and turning on such water supply; provided that where such person can show that such tampering was done contrary to his efforts to prevent same, there shall be no such shutting off of the water supply. In addition, the cost of any water used but unbilled due to unauthorized connections, bypass, tampering and interference must be reimbursed to the Village by the owner or person in possession, charge or control of the premises where such water was used. Where the Village is unable to determine the exact amount of unbilled water used, the Village Manager shall make an estimated determination of such amount based on the length of time such unauthorized connection, bypass, tampering and/or interference occurred, cost of water during such time period, and estimated usage at the premises based on historical records.
(E) Meter Costs: Except as provided in subsection (F) below, the cost of all meters installed or replaced shall be paid by the respective owners of the premises.
(F) Meter Replacement Schedules and Programs:
1. Every water meter shall be subject to replacement pursuant to a replacement schedule or program established from time to time by the Village Board.
2. Commencing in 2022, the Village shall commence the replacement of all existing meters with new meters as part of the implementation of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system (the “AMI Replacement Program”). The cost of such initial replacement meters as part of the AMI Replacement Program shall be at the expense of the owner of a property, except as follows:
(a) Exemptions from Meter Fee: Pursuant to guidelines and applications developed by the Finance Department, the Village may provide fee/cost waivers for the installation or replacement of water meters as part of the AMI Replacement Program to qualifying applicants who were prisoners of war, currently disabled veterans, and persons currently experiencing economic hardship.
(b) Prorated Fee: If a water meter being replaced as part of the initial implementation of the AMI Replacement Program was installed within the ten (10) years immediately prior to the replacement meter, the cost of the replacement meter shall be prorated as follows:
The Village shall pay one hundred percent (100%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced within the year immediately prior to replacement.
The Village shall pay ninety percent (90%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than one (1) year but less than two (2) years prior to the replacement.
The Village shall pay eighty percent (80%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than two (2) years but less than three (3) years prior to the replacement.
The Village shall pay seventy percent (70%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than three (3) years but less than four (4) years prior to the replacement.
The Village shall pay sixty percent (60%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than four (4) years but less than five (5) years prior to the replacement.
The Village shall pay fifty percent (50%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than five (5) years but less than six (6) years prior to the replacement.
The Village shall pay forty percent (40%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than six (6) years but less than seven (7) years prior to the replacement.
The Village shall pay thirty percent (30%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than seven (7) years but less than eight (8) years prior to the replacement.
The Village shall pay twenty percent (20%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than eight (8) years but less than nine (9) years prior to the replacement.
The Village shall pay ten percent (10%) of the new meter cost if the owner paid for the meter being replaced more than nine (9) years but less than ten (10) years prior to the replacement.
For meters replaced more than ten (10) years ago, the owner pays the full cost of replacements. (Ord. 2964, 8-18-2017; amd. Ord. 4019, 6-16-2022)