All owners of property connected with the public water system and all
of the owners of property who may hereafter connect with and use the same
shall pay annual water service charges in quarterly installments for the use
of such water facilities in accordance with the schedule of rates and charges
from time to time adopted by the Authority.[1]
Water charges shall be paid quarterly in accordance with billings for
services. All charges for water service shall be subject to a ten-percent
penalty if not paid within 30 days after they are due. If not paid within
60 days after due, the net bill plus penalty shall bear interest at the rate
of 1/2 of 1% per month or fraction thereof until paid.
Annual water service charges shall be a lien on the properties charged
with payment thereof, from the effective date of this part and, if not paid
after 30 days notice, may be collected in any manner provided by law. In the
case where the Authority has agreed to provide water service to a residential
dwelling unit in which the owner does not reside, the Authority shall notify
the owner and the tenant within 30 days after the tenant's bill for that
service first becomes overdue. Such notifications shall be provided by first
class mail to the address of the owner provided to the Authority by the owner
and to the billing address of the tenant, respectively.
The Authority is hereby authorized to impose penalties and fines for
noncompliance by any person with its rules and regulations. Additionally,
the Authority is authorized to deny to persons the right to work on the system,
to deny service to persons and to terminate service to persons, all for failure
to comply with its rules and regulations and this part. The Authority shall
exercise police powers for purposes of enforcement of this part.
[Amended 7-11-1996 by Ord. No. 1996-4; 6-12-1997
by Ord. No. 1997-3]
Any person who shall violate any provision of this part shall, upon
conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $1,000 and, in
default of payment thereof, to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days.
Each day that a violation of this code continues shall constitute a separate
offense. Enforcement shall be by action brought before a District Justice
in the same manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under
the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure.
A charge as stated in the schedule of rates and charges[1] shall be made for reconnecting any account which has been shut
off for nonpayment or for violation of the Authority's rules and regulations
or where a customer has requested a temporary discontinuance of service.
The Authority may require a security deposit before commencement of
water service or resumption of water service after termination. Such deposit
will be 1.5 times the estimated water service bill for one billing period.
This deposit will be refunded after one year of prompt payment of bills for
water service.
Any person who knowingly makes any false statements, representations
or certification in any application, record, report, plan or other document
filed or required to be maintained pursuant to the Authority's rules
and regulations or who falsifies, tampers with or knowingly renders inaccurate
any monitoring device or method required under the Authority's rules
and regulations shall be prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania for submitting false reports to authorities, together with
any and all other criminal penalties applicable to such conduct, and to that
end the Authority is hereby authorized to commence enforcement for such violation
in accordance with the procedure authorized by law.
Fines and costs imposed under provisions of this part shall be enforceable
and recoverable in the manner and at the time provided by applicable law.
Any discharge to the Authority's system in contravention of this
part, the Authority's regulations, any permit issued by the Authority
or any other applicable law, state or federal, is hereby declared to be a
public nuisance which the Authority may, after notice, declare to be a nuisance
and prosecute as authorized herein or by any other applicable statute, including
the Pennsylvania Water Pollution Control Act, 35 P.S. § 691.1 et
seq.
