921.06 BILLING.

   (a)   The charges established in this chapter shall be billed monthly and shall be payable by the due date specified on the billing statement. Payments shall be applied to delinquent balances first and the remainder to current charges. Current charges not paid by the due date shall be deemed delinquent and an additional charge of ten percent (10%) of the delinquent current charge shall be added each month to the amount due. A charge of ten dollars ($10.00) shall be added for all checks returned from financial institutions for nonsufficient funds.

   (b)   Delinquent charges may be certified to the County Auditor and placed on the real property tax list and duplicate against the property served by the water connection. All accounts certified to the County Auditor for collection shall be subject to a certification charge of ten percent (10%) of the delinquent amount which shall be added to the amount certified. The total charge shall be a lien on the property from the date it is placed on the real property tax list and duplicate by the Auditor and shall be collected in the same manner as other taxes.

   (c)   Refunds and Abatements. The Director of Finance shall have the authority to authorize refunds or abatements on a bill for metered water for one of the following reasons:

      (1)   Where an error has been made in the reading of the meter or the preparation of the bill.

      (2)   When the meter, upon testing, shows an average over-registration greater than two percent (2%).

      (3)   When any charge of the City water billing operation has been paid twice or incorrectly.

   (d)   No refunds will be made based on estimated readings. In general, all overpayments will be credited to the account and shown as a credit against the account on the next bill rendered.

   (e)   Billing Disputes and Adjustments. The Director of Finance shall have the authority to make final determinations regarding billing disputes and to make legitimate billing adjustments based upon reasonable standards adopted in accordance with Water System rules and regulations

established pursuant to Section 921.01, herein.

(Ord. 2001-161. Passed 10-25-01.)