(A) All disconnections must be requested in person or in writing by the account holder. When water service is discontinued and all bills are paid, including penalties, the deposit will be refunded. Refunds will be processed with the next billing cycle following the request and customers should allow two weeks following the next billing cycle for a refund. Upon request and following the initial connection, the town will disconnect/connect service once per year for no cost to the account holder.
(B) The town may discontinue service for nonpayment of utility bills. Upon discontinuance of service for nonpayment of bills, the deposit will be applied by the town toward settlement of the account. Any balance will be refunded to the customer, but if the deposit is not sufficient to cover the amount due and payable, the town may proceed to collect the balance in any way provided by law for the collection of debts.
(C) Service discontinued for nonpayment of bills will be restored only after bills are paid in full, redeposit made and a disconnection and reconnection charge, both of an amount fixed by the Board of Aldermen, shall be paid for each meter reconnected. Disconnect fees cannot be removed from the customer’s bill.
(D) The town reserves the right to discontinue water service without notice for any one or more of the following additional reasons:
(1) To prevent fraud or abuse;
(2) Customer’s willful disregard of town rules and regulations;
(3) Emergency repairs;
(4) Insufficiency of supply due to circumstances beyond the town’s control;
(5) Legal process;
(6) Direction of public authorities; and
(7) Strike, riot, fire, flood, accident or any unavoidable cause.
(E) The town may, in addition to prosecution by law, permanently refuse service to any customer who tampers with a meter or other measuring device.
(1979 Code, § 5-1022)
(F) Connections of water to multi-family rental dwellings shall be required to be supplied through a master meter and billed and charged for installation and billing purposes to a viable management company or firm and for the owner of the project. Connections to multi-family dwellings that are intended to be individually owned shall be separately metered and billed to the individual owners. Commercial dwellings shall be separately metered for each separate business operation or premises. If a commercial dwelling is expanded or divided or occupied separately after its original construction date in a manner that would have required separate metering, the uses shall pay a separate utility bill for each separate commercial use. Upon the approval of the Director of Public Works, with the concurrence of the Town Administrator, a legitimate commercial office suite, where restrooms and staff are to be shared by separate commercial enterprises, may be metered as a single business.
(Ord. passed 4-1-1964; Ord. passed 3-4-1997; Ord. 07-38, passed 11-6-2007)