(A) Failure to pay for service adopted by the Village of South Charleston. The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines which are to be followed in a uniform manner and exercised consistently. Payments are due quarterly.
(B) Written notices.
(1) Water bills will be sent out on a quarterly basis and upon the date they are put in the mail the customers have 30 days to pay their water bill. If the bill is not paid by the 30 days a $10 fee will be added to their bill and they will receive a shut off notice informing them of the disconnection date.
(2) Any arrangement made by the clerk and the customer that are not met will be disconnected immediately.
(C) Disconnection.
(1) The utility billing clerk shall provide the employees a listing of "disconnects" to be addressed on the morning of the disconnection date.
(2) Clerk will alert the Police Department in advance of disconnections so that they may assist, as necessary.
(3) Village staff will not enter into further negotiations with a resident, tenant, or landlord on the payment of any amount, nor shall Village Maintenance Department collect any monies in full or partial settlement of a delinquent account. Matters of this nature will be referred to the utility billing clerk.
(4) Once on the scene to exercise a disconnection function, village employees shall proceed as planned, unless they are provided proof of a valid, up-to-date payment receipt. Village staff will confirm this with the utility billing clerk through the most appropriate manner of communication available at the time prior to taking any action.
(5) Disconnections will take place early in the week of the scheduled week.
(D) Reconnection. Once a disconnection takes place, the resident or current tenant must pay the appropriate fee in order to be reconnected (100% of outstanding charges plus a reconnection fee of $50 prior to 3:00 p.m.). Requests for reconnection will be addressed by the end of the next business day. Note: After the initial disconnection day, however, no overtime will be allotted, and all service reconnects will have to be requested prior to 3:00 p.m., as the village workday ends at 4:00 p.m.
(E) Continued occupancy during a disconnection period.
(1) The landlord is ultimately responsible for his/her rental units. Every effort is made by the village to collect from the tenant and keep the landlord informed of action being taken. Landlords are encouraged to protect their own interests in a manner they see fit for each situation. It is not the village's responsibility to dictate to landlords how they should deal with their tenants.
(2) A tenant with a balance due who is vacating a premise will not be allowed utility services at another premise until the prior bill is paid in full. A balance from one residence will not be transferred to the next location because the utility bill stays with the property.
(3) With all of the above efforts, the village preference is to work with customers who are having difficulty paying their bill, out of respect for their various situations. However, the village shall proceed with serving the best interests of the utilities and their customers.
(F) New connections.
(1) An existing resident who will be vacating the premises must notify Town Hall to request a meter reading for the day of moving and provide a forwarding address and telephone contact number. An existing resident may not make any arrangement for a new incoming resident to change the name on the account.
(2) Before changing of the name on the water bill there will be a $100 deposit. This deposit will be refunded in the amount of $90 upon leaving the village as long as the water bill is paid in full.
(G) Fees.
Utilities deposit | $100 |
Disconnect/reconnect | $50 |
Tampering of meter | $200 per offense |
Returned check | $25 |
Late fee | $10 |
(H) Water bills are due the months of January, April, July, and October.
(Ord. 2021-10, passed 5-4-2021)