(A) Water services to be metered. All water services shall be metered.
(B) One meter for each service. The Village Administrator may grant a permit for the installation of more than one meter on a service supplying an apartment building containing more than one apartment unit when the plans showing the piping arrangements are submitted to and approved by the Village Administrator. In cases where such additional meters are permitted, it shall be required that:
(1) All the meters shall be contained compactly or in a meter room, and that each meter be controlled independently of the others; and
(2) The owner assumes all responsibility for the installation and the maintenance of the meters other than that assumed by the village.
(C) Meters registered by service numbers. All meters shall be registered by service numbers that apply to street number and lot number. Inquiries regarding meters should give the street numbers and if possible, service numbers.
(D) Meters to be furnished by the village. Meters shall be paid for in accordance with the current legislation, by the person or persons applying for the service.
(E) Maintenance and replacement. The maintenance and/or replacement of meters owned by the village will be at the expense of the village. However, the customer will be charged and held responsible for all repairs or cost of replacement due to any act of negligence on the part of the customer.
(F) Responsibility for loss or theft of meter. Property owners shall be held responsible for and shall reimburse the village for the loss or theft of any meter furnished and maintained as herein before provided.
(G) Meter repairs at expense of owner. All damaged or improperly functioning meters, not owned by the village shall be repaired at the expense of the owner.
(H) Meter removal by the village only. A meter shall be removed only by an authorized employee of the village. Unauthorized persons removing or tampering with meters will be subject to a $150 fine.
(I) Penalty for unlawfully breaking meter seal. When, upon inspection, any meter seal in which it has been found broken from any cause whatsoever, the water may be turned off, and the water will not be turned on again until the sum of $100 and the cost of repair or replacement of the meter has been paid to the village.
(J) Meter removal for repairing or testing. The village reserves the right to remove a meter from any premises and substitute another meter in its place for the purpose of making repairs or testing.
(K) Meter test without request. The village may test any meter, which in its judgement is registering incorrectly, without charge to the owner.
(L) Request by property owner or consumer to test meter.
(1) In cases where the property owner or consumer requests the village to test a meter, the village shall charge the current cost related to testing the meter, if the meter is found to be operating properly. Cost of the meter test shall be billed to the property owner or consumer on their next bill.
(2) If a meter test is requested by the consumer due to a dispute of the amount billed, said amount is still due and payable by the date shown on the disputed bill. If the meter is found by testing to be operating improperly, the consumer’s account shall be credited or debited to reflect the meter’s improper operation. Cost of the meter test shall be billed to the property owner or consumer on their next bill, if the meter is found to be operating properly.
(3) On commercial meters two inches or larger, where the property owner or consumer requests the village to test a meter, the village shall charge the current cost related to testing the meter, if the meter is found to be operating properly. Cost of the meter test shall be billed to the property owner or consumer on their next bill.
(M) Meters must be accessible. Meters must be freely accessible to meter readers and the authorized employees of the village and must not be covered with or obstructed by rubbish or other material, even if the meters are located in meter vaults, meter tiles, or basements. The village may shut off water when violations of this division (M) are not corrected following a due notice of such violation by the village.
(N) Water meters in mobile home parks. Each mobile home park shall receive one master water meter at the village’s expense. The village is responsible only to the master water meter, with the owner being responsible for all water lines and water meters thereafter. The village is responsible for the reading of the master meter only. The billing of the master water meter shall be per current ordinance.
(Ord. 24-05, passed 3-4-2024)