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Whenever a service enters upon any property and its branches and extensions pass through the bounds of such property for the purpose of furnishing a supply of water to any adjoining property, the property upon which the service first enters shall be charged for the water furnished by any and all branches, extensions, etc., of the service; and should a meter be installed upon such service, the rate for water shall be assessed to the property first named.
(1953 Code, ch. 25, § 28; Ord. No. 11072, § 2, 5-21-13, eff. 7-1-13)
Water rates are due and payable at the office of the water department upon determination of the amount of charge for the water rate. Water rates are delinquent if not paid within twenty (20) days of the date the charges are due and payable.
(1953 Code, ch. 25, § 25; Ord. No. 3394, § 13, 1-12-70)
(1) Discontinuing service for nonpayment.
(a) If a customer's account balance is greater than seventy-five dollars ($75.00) and if that balance has been outstanding for forty (40) days, the customer shall be given written notice that the account is past due. This notice shall also inform the customer of the right to dispute the balance, in accordance with section 27-50(2). The notice shall further state that the customer has seven (7) days from the date of the written notice to contact the utility if the customer wishes to dispute the balance before a hearing officer in accordance with section 27-50(2).
(b) If no payment has been received within seven (7) days following the written notice, the customer shall be given a secondary notice that the account is delinquent and the service subject to turn-off. At this time a delinquent service charge of eleven dollars and twenty-five cents ($11.25) shall be assessed on the customer's account.
(c) If the delinquent balance is not paid within an additional seven (7) days, the water supply shall, without further notification, be turned off, the meter locked, and a delinquent service charge of fifty-five dollars and fifty-two cents ($55.52) assessed on the customer's account. However, if the customer is disputing the water bill in accordance with section 27-50(2), water service shall not be turned off until, or unless, the customer's dispute is found to be without merit by the hearing officer.
(d) If a customer whose meter has been locked has not paid within an additional seven (7) days, the customer's account shall be terminated. Prior to reestablishing service, the full account balance shall be paid.
(2) Customer right to dispute account balance.
(a) Customers objecting to the actions, policies, or decisions of the water department with regard to utility service billing may informally appeal to the billing office superintendent in person, by telephone, or via electronic and/or postal mail.
(b) The billing office will attempt, in a timely manner, to resolve the situation.
(c) If the problem is not resolved by an informal appeal, the customer shall be advised of the right to an administrative hearing.
(d) The director of the water utility shall appoint a hearing officer to resolve customer billing disputes. For any particular dispute, the hearing officer shall have had no previous involvement with the customer's case. In the event that such involvement exists, the director shall designate another hearing officer.
(e) This hearing officer shall be authorized to make a decision as to the validity of the customer's dispute, and, if the customer's dispute is found to be valid, shall also be authorized to make the appropriate corrections to the customer's account, including the potential removal of delinquent service charges.
(f) If the hearing officer requires a more complete set of facts than can be gathered at the time of the hearing, the officer shall make whatever investigation is necessary before rendering a decision.
(g) The customer's water service shall not be terminated until and unless the hearing officer completes the investigation and finds the customer's dispute to be without merit. However, the hearing process does not relieve the customer of the obligation to pay water bills. The customer must continue to pay in a timely manner, all water bills received or be subject to delinquent service charges should the account balance exceed seventy-five dollars ($75.00).
(h) The hearing officer's determination regarding disputed customer account balance is final.
(1953 Code, ch. 25, § 26; Ord. No. 2665, § 10, 9-21-64; Ord. No. 3394, § 14, 1-12-70; Ord. No. 4626, § 10, 3-3-77; Ord. No. 4874, § 1, 9-5-78; Ord. No. 5355, § 5, 4-20-81; Ord. No. 9043, § 5, 4-13-98; Ord. No. 9238, § 6, 6-14-99; Ord. No. 9388, § 1, 5-22-00; Ord. No. 9704, § 2, 5-13-02; Ord. No. 10359, § 2, 12-12-06, eff. 1-16-07; Ord. No. 10510, § 2, 3-18-08, eff. 7-1-08; Ord. No. 10897, § 2, 5-24-11, eff. 7-5-11; Ord. No. 11072, § 2, 5-21-13, eff. 7-1-13)
(1) In no case shall any individual or plumber turn on the water supply when the supply has been turned off for nonpayment of amounts owing on the customer's account or for any other cause referenced in chapter 27. All water service that has been turned off by the water utility shall be turned on again solely by the water utility.
(2) If the utility has removed the customer's meter to prevent illegal use of water after the customer's account had been terminated for delinquency or any other cause, the customer shall pay thirty-two dollars and ninety-five cents ($32.95) to have the meter reinstalled, in addition to any other outstanding balance on the customer's account, before the utility restores water service to the customer.
(1953 Code, ch. 25, § 27; Ord. No. 9388, § 1, 5-22-00; Ord. No. 9555, § 1, 5-14-01; Ord. No. 9704, § 2, 5-13-02; Ord. No. 10510, § 2, 3-18-08, eff. 7-1-08; Ord. No. 11072, § 2, 5-21-13, eff. 7-1-13)
Adjustments are offered to customers upon their request when there is a valid high water use such as leaks, theft, vandalism, or other known consumption. They are also given when there is unexplained high water use. All other applicable water charges and taxes are applied after the adjustment is given.
(1) Adjustments are given when all of the following conditions are met:
(a) Water use by the customer has returned to normal levels.
(b) The use in question was more than twenty (20) Ccfs.
(c) An adjustment has not been given on the account within the past three (3) years.
(d) The water use in question must have occurred within the past seven (7) months.
(e) No adjustments are made available for reclaimed water or construction water accounts.
(2) Customer relief adjustment.
(a) A customer relief adjustment is calculated by charging a residential customer for high water use at the current adopted rate for the same water use block of the same month of the prior year.
(b) The customer relief adjustment applies to the residential single family and duplex-triplex customer classes.
(3) Courtesy adjustment.
(a) A courtesy adjustment is calculated by taking the difference of water use between the high water use month and the same month in the previous year and allowing one half (1/2) of that amount to be dismissed.
(b) The courtesy adjustment is for customer classes of multifamily, mobile home parks w/sub-meters, commercial, and industrial.
(Ord. No. 10999, § 1, 6-19-12)
Editor's note – Section 4 of Ord. No. 10999, adopted June 19, 2012, provides that the fee adjustments approved by Ord. No. 10999 shall take effect for water meters read on or after July 2, 2012.
(a) A seven hundred and fifty dollar ($750) Pre-Annexation and Development Agreement ("PADA") application fee will be assessed for each application for water service to parcels outside the City limits. The fee will be assessed per Pima County Tax Parcel Number, and will not be assessed for parcels deemed ineligible for water service under the City of Tucson's Water Service Policy.
(b) A one thousand dollar ($1,000) Pre- Annexation and Development Agreement ("PADA") fee per Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) will be assessed for each application for water service to parcels outside the City Limits. The fee will be assessed per Pima County Tax Parcel Number and will be assessed for each water meter obtained after a parcel has paid its application fee under Section 27-53 (1) and has completed all requisite plan submittals and obtained approvals for water service.
(Ord. No. 11812, § 1, 1-20-21; Ord. No. 11831, § 1, 4-20-21)
Editor’s note – Section 2 of Ord. No. 11812, adopted January 20, 2021, and section 2 of Ord. No. 11831, adopted April 20, 2021, provide that the PADA application fee shall take effect on or after July 1, 2021.
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