Charges for water supplied shall be made against the premises where it is used, and all bills shall be rendered accordingly to owners thereof.
All bills hereafter will be rendered to property owners and will constitute a lien upon the property unless paid within the time as prescribed in this chapter.
[Amended 4-1-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-950]
Whenever any person, not the owner of the premises, shall make application for water in any house or other building in the Borough, such application shall be accompanied by a deposit of $100. No permit to have water turned on in any house or other building in the Borough shall hereafter be granted to any person other than the owner of the premises until such deposit has been made with the Collector of the Borough.
Whenever it is found that the stopcock or box controlling the water supply to any premises or any service pipeline between the meter and the curb box is broken or not in serviceable condition, the owner or consumer shall be notified at once, and if such owner or consumer fails to remedy the defects within a reasonable time, the water shall be shut off and not again turned on until the apparatus has been put into serviceable condition and charges for turning on paid.
All complaints relating to water supply, distribution and consumption may be made to the Water Superintendent, and it is his duty to investigate such complaints at once and present them with his report at the next meeting of the Borough Council. It is the duty of the Water Superintendent to report any violation of these rules or regulations, and the Council may prosecute in the name of the Borough any and all offenders violating the same.
[Amended 9-16-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-761; 9-20-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-795; 5-20-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-849; 5-19-2009 by Ord. No. 2009-869; 8-16-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-916; 5-15-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-926; 4-1-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-950; 6-16-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-963; 12-19-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-990; 5-21-2019 by Ord. No. 2019-1022; 2-18-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-1030; 4-5-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-1055]
A. 
The rate for water consumption shall be $6.75 for each thousand gallons of water consumed. This rate shall be effective beginning January 1, 2022.
B. 
The rate for contractual wholesale customers shall be $3.264 for each thousand gallons of water purchased. This rate shall be effective beginning in the first quarter of 2023.
[Amended 5-17-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-1060; 12-6-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-1067; 5-16-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-1075]
[Amended 9-16-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-761; 4-1-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-950]
The minimum rate charged for water for any purpose shall be $20 per quarter.
Each water meter installed on any premises, for whatever purpose, shall be so installed at the expense of the owner of such premises, the meter to be paid for in full by the property owner prior to such installation, but shall at all times be subject to the supervision of the Borough.
[Amended 12-16-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-767; 4-1-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-950]
When a service has been turned off, a charge of $200 will be made for again turning on the water.
No one will be allowed to tap street mains but the regularly appointed agent of the Borough, who will tap the main, bring the service pipe to the curb, inserting the corporation cock-curb stop and box for the stop, and the charges for this shall be fixed by the Borough and paid by the consumer and shall be a lien on the premises; interest at the rate of 10% per annum shall be added unless the charge is paid within 10 days of the rendering of the bill.
[Added 12-16-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-767; amended 12-20-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-799; 12-21-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-911; 4-1-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-950]
A. 
Test of water meter found not to be defective or out of order: $125.
B. 
Records change (billing office): $100.
C. 
Water shutoff and restart: $200.
D. 
Installation and maintenance of meter(s) on house service line or replacement of a meter with a larger one:
[Amended 6-20-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-1080]
5/8 inch
$280
5/8 inch x 3/4 inch
$280
3/4 inch
$330
1 inch
$403
1 1/2 inches
$865
2 inches
$985
E. 
Temporary permit for use of water during construction: $250.
F. 
Road opening and restoration of pavement: $100 per square feet; $50 minimum.
G. 
Inspection of house service connection: $50.
H. 
Final reading of a meter for house sale: $100.
I. 
Minimum bill for stopped or nonread meter: $1,000.
[Amended 11-24-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-968]
J. 
Minimum bill for a fire sprinkler: $50.
[Added 11-24-2015 by Ord. No. 2015-968]
K. 
Outdated meter fee. There shall be a fee of $50 per quarter charged for the continued use of an outdated meter, beginning the first quarter after a property owner is notified that they are required to have a meter installed and fails to provide access for the new meter installation.
[Added 11-22-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-977]
L. 
Fine for no access to water meter: $1,000 by end of quarter if no response in received prior quarter stands.
[Added 10-17-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-988]
M. 
Construction water charge: $100 per quarter.
[Added 10-17-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-988]
All charges of whatever nature in connection with the water works are payable to the Borough Collector. No other person is authorized to accept and give receipt for any moneys due to the Borough.
[Added 9-18-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-840; amended 3-20-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-923; 10-17-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-987]
A. 
The Water Department shall not discontinue water service for nonpayment of bills in cases where a charge is in dispute, provided the undisputed charges and bills are paid in an amount at least equal to the average of the last four previous quarters of billed charges and a formal request is made to the Water Department for an investigation of the disputed charge. Bills cannot be disputed beyond 90 days. Once a formal dispute is filed, and the average payment is made, all collection activity on the disputed charge shall cease until such time as the dispute is resolved. When a dispute as to a charge is resolved, the Water Department shall provide seven days' written notice by certified mail before water service is discontinued for nonpayment of charges and/or bills. Any charge for water service that is not disputed within the grace period after being billed shall not be subject to dispute and shall be considered accurate and valid.
B. 
A dispute to a charge for water provided is perfected when a customer files with the Water Department a completed dispute form, which shall be provided by the Water Department upon request. Once a completed dispute form is filed, the Water Department shall retain a copy of the form and transmit the original to the Borough Water Clerk.
C. 
Within 60 days of a dispute being filed regarding a charge for water, and upon 20 days' notice to the customer filing a dispute, the Borough Water (billing) Clerk, Borough Water Superintendent and a member of the Borough's administrative offices shall hold a hearing as to the disputed charge; from that point, the bill must be paid in full within 10 days. At the hearing, the customer may present evidence as to why the disputed charge is erroneous and/or inaccurate; however, metered charges are presumed accurate unless evidence is presented that more likely than not demonstrates the meter generating the charges to be dysfunctional or inaccurate in accordance with the provisions of § 286-20.
D. 
If, upon hearing, the Borough officials find that it is more likely than not that the disputed charge was erroneous or inaccurate, not as the result of tampering, the Borough Water Clerk shall be empowered to amend the charge as necessary to accomplish a fair and reasonable outcome based upon consumption history. However, if upon hearing the Borough officials do not find that it is more likely than not that the disputed charge was erroneous or inaccurate, the customer shall be so advised and required to satisfy any outstanding unpaid charge for continued water service.
E. 
Any unpaid charge for water that is either undisputed or found to be accurate shall be deemed a municipal lien on the property incurring the debt and shall run with the land in accordance with law.