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§ 50.004 DELINQUENT BILLS.
   (A)   Non-residential customers.
      (1)   (a)   Non-residential utility customers that do not pay the bill in full, including the late fee, by the due date set forth in § 50.003, will be considered delinquent and will be sent a delinquency letter specified by the village in the Customer Utility Policy and Procedure Manual. This letter will be mailed on or about the first day of the following month. Delinquent customers will have until 8:00 a.m. on the tenth day of the month to:
            1.   Pay the bill; or
            2.   Resolve the matter in accordance with the dispute resolution procedure in § 50.010 of this chapter.
      (b)   If the customer fails to meet one of these requirements by the deadline stated, the utilities may be disconnected without further notice.
(Prior Code, § 50C.004)
   (B)   Residential customers.
      (1)   (a)   Residential utility customers that do not pay the bill in full, including the late fee, by close of business on the due date set forth in § 50.003, will be considered delinquent and will be sent a delinquency letter substantially in the form specified by the village in the Customer Utility Policy and Procedure Manual. This letter will be mailed on or about the first day of the following month, with a copy to the landowner, if the customer is a tenant. Delinquent customers will have until 8:00 a.m. on the tenth of the month to:
            1.   Pay the bill; or
            2.   Resolve the matter in accordance with the dispute resolution procedure § 50.010 of this chapter.
         (b)   If the customer fails to meet one of the requirements by the deadline stated, the utilities may be disconnected without further notice.
   (C)   Disconnection of residential gas and electric services will not occur under weather conditions as provided by state law—that is, when the National Weather Service forecasts a temperature of 20°F or below in the village for the following 24-hour period. (See 65 ILCS 5/11-117-12.1.)
   (D)   No disconnection of any service shall occur for any residential customer for 30 days if a permanent resident of the household is certified to be seriously ill and where disconnection of services will aggravate the illness. Certification of illness will require a letter to the village which contains the following: the names of the sick person; a statement that the sick person is a resident of the premises in question; the name, business address and telephone number of the certifying party; the nature of the illness; the period of time during which termination of service will aggravate the illness. An account will be limited to one certification in any 12-month forward rolling period.
   (E)   Customers who have been ordered to report for military service may have additional rights with respect to disconnection pursuant to § 11-117-12.2 of the Illinois Municipal Code (65 ILCS 5/11-117-12.2).
(Prior Code, § 50C.005)
(Ord. 95-024, passed 10-16-1995; Ord. 97-020, passed 8-18-1997; Ord. 2002-11, passed 4-1-2002; Ord. 2002-036, passed 12-16-2002; Ord. 2009-012, passed 5-18-2009; Ord. 16-001, passed 1-4-2016; Ord. 16-021, passed 9-6-2016)
§ 50.005 RECONNECTIONS.
   Utilities shall be reconnected after the customer has paid the bill in full, including any late fee, and the customer has paid a deposit in the amount currently required as in the case of new applications for service as set forth in § 50.069 as of the date of reconnection, and the following reconnection fee:
 
First reconnection in a 12-month period for the customer
$50
Second reconnection in a 12-month period for the customer
$100
Third reconnection in a 12-month period for the customer
$200
Fourth and subsequent reconnections in a 12-month period for the customer
$400
 
(Prior Code, § 50C.006) (Ord. 95-024, passed 10-16-1995; Ord. 97-020, passed 8-18-1997; Ord. 98-017, passed 4-20-1998; Ord. 2002-036, passed 12-16-2002; Ord. 16-001, passed 1-4-2016; Ord. 16-021, passed 9-6-2016)
§ 50.006 DELINQUENT POLICY FOR LEVEL PAY CUSTOMERS.
   Level pay customers who become delinquent automatically forfeit the privilege of being on the level pay plan. After reconnection, such customers shall be returned to normal payment. The customer shall become again eligible for the level pay plan only after an acceptable payment history of 12 months from the time of returning to normal pay is established.
(Prior Code, § 50C.007) (Ord. 95-024, passed 10-16-1995)
§ 50.007 PAYMENT PLANS.
   (A)   No more frequently than once per calendar year, a current customer may apply to enter into a payment plan with the village.
   (B)   The payment plan shall be on a form specified by the village in the Customer Utility Policy and Procedure Manual and shall comply with the following requirements:
      (1)   One-third of the current bill (which includes the late fee) shall be paid at the time the payment plan is signed.
      (2)   An additional one-third of the current bill shall be paid within 15 days of the date of the payment plan, with the remaining one-third of the current bill to be paid within 30 days of the date of the payment plan.
      (3)   All payment plans shall be in writing and signed by the customer and by village billing personnel.
      (4)   The customer shall make all normal utility payments and payment plan payments on time while the payment plan is in force. Failure to make such payments will be considered a new delinquency and will result in termination of service.
   (C)   The village reserves the right to accept or refuse a proposal payment plan, in its discretion.
   (D)   No payment plan will be allowed in the event of a delinquency caused by failure to make payments under a payment plan.
(Prior Code, § 50C.008) (Ord. 95-024, passed 10-16-1995; Ord. 2009-012, passed 5-18-2009; Ord. 16-001, passed 1-4-2016; Ord. 16-021, passed 9-6-2016)
§ 50.008 DEPOSIT POLICY FOR DELINQUENT CUSTOMERS.
   (A)   Customers who do not have an acceptable payment history shall be required to pay a deposit, as follows:
      (1)   Residential: a deposit of the monthly average of the previous 12 months (or as many months as available if less than 12 months are available), but not less than $100; and
      (2)   Non-residential: a deposit equivalent to one-sixth of the previous year’s total utility bill or one-sixth of the anticipated utility bill for the year, but not less than $100.
   (B)   For purposes of this section, an ACCEPTABLE PAYMENT HISTORY is defined as follows:
      (1)   No collection/disconnection orders in the previous year;
      (2)   No defaults in established payment plans in the previous year; and
      (3)   Less than three delinquencies in the previous year.
   (C)   Delinquent utility deposits shall be refunded at the customer’s request the month after the establishment of an acceptable payment history.
(Prior Code, § 50C.009) (Ord. 95-024, passed 10-16-1995)
§ 50.009 TERMINATION INVOLVING MASTER METERED APARTMENT BUILDINGS.
   (A)   In the event of termination of service to an apartment building having three or more residential apartments with a master meter, the village shall, in addition to the notice to the landlord, notify all tenants of the building of the proposed termination of utility service. This notice shall contain the following information:
      (1)   The specific date, no sooner than ten days after the notice is rendered, that utility service is subject to termination;
      (2)   A statement of the tenant’s statutory right either:
         (a)   To pay the utility company from the rent due on the rental agreement; or
         (b)   To petition the court for appointment of a receiver to collect the rents due for use and occupancy of the building and remit a portion to the utility company for payment of utility bills.
      (3)   The dollar amount of the utility bills due and owing on the date such notice is given and the average monthly utility bills; and
      (4)   The name and telephone number of any legal services agency within the utility company’s service area where the tenants may obtain free legal assistance.
   (B)   The notice provided to the tenants of the building shall be of a conspicuous size, on red paper, and in at least 14-point bold face type; except that, the words “notice of (utility service) termination” shall be in 36-point bold face type if the notice is posted, and shall state a penalty as provided in § 50.999.
   (C)   The foregoing requirements are in accordance with the Rental Property Utility Service Act, 765 ILCS 735/0.01 et seq.
(Prior Code, § 50C.010) (Ord. 95-024, passed 10-16-1995) Penalty, see § 50.999
§ 50.010 DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEDURE.
   (A)   Village billing personnel shall, at all reasonable times, be available to receive and consider disputes of any customer, applicant or user relative to an account for utility service. The person having a dispute which cannot be resolved by billing personnel must request the hearing in writing, directed to the village utility office. The customer, applicant or user shall be advised of the customer’s right to have a hearing conducted by the Office Manager or the Office Manager’s designee (who shall be a village employee other than the billing employee who initially discussed the matter with the person requesting the hearing). The village shall not disconnect the service of any person for non-payment during the pendency of the dispute if:
      (1)   Written notice is given to the village utility office as herein provided;
      (2)   Payment of all undisputed portions of the bill is made; and
      (3)   The person making the complaint or dispute enters into a bona fide effort to resolve the disputed matter with all due dispatch.
   (B)   Notice of a dispute shall be made in writing and contain the name, address and telephone number of the person disputing a charge; the address at which utility service is received which is the subject of the dispute; the specific grounds or reasons for which the charges billed are disputed; and the specific relief requested.
   (C)   Upon filing of the notice, the Office Manager, or his or her designee, shall schedule a hearing with the customer; if the customer has been sent a notice of delinquency, the hearing shall be scheduled on or before the disconnection date specified in the notice of delinquency.
   (D)   The hearing shall be informal but shall consist, as a minimum, of the customer presenting reasons the customer believes the billing to have been in error, and the billing personnel presenting reasons why the billing was not in error. The customer’s ability to pay is not a relevant consideration.
(Prior Code, § 50C.011) (Ord. 95-024, passed 10-16-1995; Ord. 2004-019, passed 6-21-2004)
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