(A) Regular.
(1) Bills for service will be rendered monthly unless otherwise specified.
(2) The term
MONTH, for billing purposes, will be the period between any two consecutive readings of the meters by the Electric Department, such readings to be taken as nearly as practicable every 30 days. All bills for service shall be computed in accordance with the provisions of the Electric Department's electric rate schedules effective at the time of rendering service.
(B) Budget payment plan.
(1) A budget payment plan is available to all qualifying customers. A budget payment plan may be established at any time of the year. The monthly budget amount shall be calculated by the Collector on the basis of the estimated consumption and estimated applicable rates through the end of the budget year (May 1 through April 30). Customers who have arrears shall not be allowed to establish a budget payment plan until their account has been without arrears for 12 consecutive months.
(2) An applicant for a budget plan shall be informed at the time of application that budget amounts shall be reviewed and changed every 12 months, if necessary, in order to reflect current circumstances. Adjustments to the budget amount will be made with the objective that the customer's under-billed or over-billed balance at the end of the budget year shall be less than one month's budget amount. Customers on the budget payment plan shall be notified of adjustments through either a bill insert or message on the bill. When an adjustment is made to a budget payment amount, the customer will be informed of the adjustment at the same time the bill containing the adjustment is rendered.
(3) At the end of a budget year, if an under-billed or over-billed balance exists in a customer's account, the balance shall be handled as follows:
(a) A customer's debit balance will be paid in full, or the monthly budget amount, whichever is greater.
(b) A customer's credit balance will be applied against the customer's account or, at the customer's option, a refund shall be made.
(4) If a budget payment is not paid, the customer shall be notified with the next billing that if proper payment is not received subsequent to this notification, the next regular billing may cause the removal of the customer from the budget plan and discontinuance of service.
(C) Estimated bill.
(1) In case any meter shall stop or for any reason fail to integrate properly, or upon failure to read the meter, the Collector may estimate the monthly bill for electric energy. Whenever possible, estimated bills will be based on the same month of the prior year.
(2) The Electric Department will endeavor to make an actual reading of the customer's meter at least every second billing period. A $25 service charge will apply if the customer does not allow the utility meter to be accessible after two consecutive billing periods in which an estimated bill has been rendered. The Collector may render an estimated bill for any billing period in which:
(a) The Electric Department has taken appropriate and reasonable measures to read the customer's meter.
(b) The customer has knowingly and willfully denied reasonable access to the Electric Department's representative for the purpose of taking an actual meter reading.
(c) The customer has otherwise made an actual meter reading unnecessarily difficult.
(d) Circumstances beyond the Electric Department's control make an actual meter reading extremely difficult.
(3) Only in unusual cases will more than two consecutive estimated bills be rendered.
(D) Billing for fractional month service. When a customer commences or discontinues service between regular monthly meter reading dates, the Collector will bill the customer as closely as possible to the date of disconnect.
(E) Failure to receive bill. Failure to receive a bill shall not excuse a customer from his or her obligation to pay within the time specified. Should the city be unable to bill a customer for services used during any month, the billing next made shall include the charges for services used during the unbilled month. A month shall be considered as that period of approximately 30 days.
(F) Failure of meters to register properly.
(1) In all cases where an Electric Department meter, because of improper adjustment or defective parts, is found to be registering more than plus or minus 3%, the Electric Department will refund or charge the customer the difference between the actual billing and the billing corrected for the error for each month when such over-registration or under-registration is known to have existed. In the absence of definite information, adjustments will be negotiated.
(2) In making the adjustments for errors in meter registrations, due consideration will be given to the previous month's consumption, consumptions in similar periods of other years, comparative uses and sizes of connected loads, and any other relevant facts.
(3) Any Electric Department meter shall be taken out of service and tested upon complaint of the customer upon payment of a fee of $225. If, upon test, the meter is not within the previously stated tolerance, it shall be repaired or replaced and the testing fee returned to the customer.
(G) Diversion of service.
(1) Where the Electric Department has reasonable evidence that a customer is obtaining a supply of electricity, in whole or in part, by means of devices or methods used to stop or interfere with the proper metering of the electric service being delivered to the customer's equipment, the Electric Department reserves the right to estimate and present immediately a bill for service unmetered as a result of such interference, and such bill shall be payable subject to disconnection of service.
(2) Any person using electrical energy from the Electric Department without paying therefor, or who shall be found guilty of breaking the seal of any meter or switch, or who shall install wiring, make connections or attach wires for any electric device or appliances to wires in a manner so that electrical energy may be used without being supplied under the terms of this code, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(3) The Electric Department will reconnect or continue service to the customer upon the following conditions:
(a) The customer will be required to deposit with the Electric Department an amount sufficient to guarantee the amount of the customer's bill for utility service;
(b) The customer will be required to pay the Electric Department for any and all damages to its equipment on the customer's premises due to such stoppage or interference with its metering;
(c) The customer must further agree to comply with reasonable requirements to protect the Electric Department against further losses.
(4) The Electric Department reserves the right to pursue any and all other legal rights against such customer.
(H) Vandalism.
(1) Any person who shall be found guilty of defacing, injuring or destroying, or in any manner limiting the use of availability of any pole, wire, insulator, fixture, lamp, meter or any property of the Electric Department, or who shall erect signs on the property of the Electric Department without permission shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
(2) No customer or other person shall repair or remove any meter or break any seal without the authority from the Electric Department, nor tamper with or interfere with the integration of any meter.
(3) Employees of the Electric Department shall have the right to enter upon all premises served by the said Electric Department for the purpose of reading meters, inspection of meters, connections, and wiring in order to ascertain whether or not all electric energy is being properly metered, and for any other purpose that may be necessary to maintain proper service.
(Ord. 1059, passed 3-2-1998; Am. Ord. 1651, passed 9-16-2013)