A.
Except as provided in Article XII of this chapter, all charges for water service, including water rates, shall be billed to the owner of the premises to which water is furnished.
B.
The Town shall be notified in writing of any change in ownership at premises to which water services are furnished, which notice shall be the responsibility of the new owner. Failure to provide such notice shall be deemed a violation of this chapter. Upon receipt of proper notice, the Town will take a final reading in accordance with § 400-18. No adjustment of bills as between old and new customers will be made by the Town.
C.
Upon receipt of a notice of discontinuance of service in accordance with § 400-18 and the recording of a final reading, the Town will prepare a final bill which shall be available at the water billing office, two weeks after receipt of the notice of discontinuance. A refund for the amount of any overpayment will be given to the prior owner upon the next scheduled audit. The Town shall charge for the final billing a fee to recover the cost of preparing a final bill and taking the final meter reading. Said fee shall be established by resolution of the Town Board, and the Board may amend by resolution pursuant to Subsection A of this section the charge for final billings.
[Amended 3-21-2005 by L.L. No. 2-2005]
B.
The quantity recorded by the meter shall be considered
the amount of water used by the customer, which amount shall be conclusive
on both the customer and the Town, except as hereinafter provided.
Where the meter has been tested and discovered to have malfunctioned
or to have registered inaccurately, the quantity may be determined
by the average registration of the meter in a corresponding past period
when in order, except that where it appears that there has been a
change of customer or change in use of water, equitable adjustment
shall be made in the determination of the Town. In all cases where
a meter is found to be defective or an outside reader is found to
be defective, the customer is obligated to pay the amount of the bill
as determined by the reading from the inside meter. If a bill is in
excess because of a defective outside reader, the mode of payment
shall be decided by the Water Department. The Town shall immediately
replace it with equipment that has been tested and properly adjusted.
C.
Where a reading cannot be obtained, an estimated bill
may be rendered to a customer. The quantity may be adjusted in the
same procedure as used for a meter malfunction.
D.
Where there is a discrepancy in the reading between
an outside reader and an inside meter, the quantity recorded by the
inside meter shall be considered the determining amount of water used
for billing.
E.
When a customer's property is vacant and the water
is left on, normal billing will continue. If the water service is
turned off, billing will stop only if the water is turned off by the
Water Department and shutoff sealed.
[Amended 3-21-2005 by L.L. No. 2-2005]
In case any water bill or charge provided for,
in and by these rules shall not be paid within 30 days following the
billing date, a ten-percent penalty will be charged. Failure to pay
any bill dated prior to October 1 of a particular year, including
penalty charges, by October 31 of that year will result in the arrears
being applied to the owner's tax roll, in accordance with § 198
of the Town Law of the State of New York. In any case where arrears
are placed upon the tax roll, an administrative fee, as set from time
to time by resolution of the Town Board, shall be added to the amount
in arrears.
If an owner fails to notify the Town that a
meter should be installed and uses water supplied by the Town which
passes through no meter, he shall be required to pay three times the
quarterly minimum charge for the size of meter appropriate for the
service for each thirty-day period or part thereof that water has
been used at the premises. The period of time during which water has
been so used shall be calculated from the date of issue of the certificate
of occupancy or the date of sale, whichever is earlier, to the date
the meter is installed.
