[R.O. 1991 § 720.010; Ord. No. 566 § II, 5-10-1988]
A.
Bills To Be Sent. All bills for utility
service for electric, water, and sewer services (including trash and
waste collection) shall be sent as near as possible to the twenty-fifth
day of the month. All bills for the above utility services not paid
by the tenth day of the next month shall receive a late payment penalty
of ten percent (10%) of the user charge bill.
B.
Delinquent Notices Sent. A delinquent notice
shall be sent as near as possible to the 11th day of the next month
after the bill was sent. Said notice shall contain information that
a ten percent (10%) penalty has been affixed to the utility service,
as described above. Said notice shall further advise the customer
that the due date has been extended to the 25th day of the month.
Said notice shall advise the customer that if the bill is not paid
in full by the 25th day of said month, that said services shall be
discontinued and disconnected. Said notice shall also provide therein
the reconnection fee or charge in the event such services are discontinued
or disconnected.
C.
Reconnection Fees And Charges. The fee
for reconnection after service has been discontinued shall be twenty-five
dollars ($25.00). If a reconnection is done after regular working
hours, such reconnection fee shall be fifty dollars ($50.00). No reconnection
will be done without all delinquent bills being first paid in full.
[Ord. No.
12-1121 §§ I – II, 12-11-2012]
D.
No Further Notice Required. There shall
be no further notice required for disconnection of service of utility
service to any customer of the City utilities for the City of Vandalia,
other than the notices required above.
E.
Service to customers may also be discontinued
by the City for any of the following reasons:
1.
For willful or indifferent waste
of water due to any cause.
2.
For failure to protect from injury
or damage the meter and connections, or for failure to protect and
maintain the service pipe or fixture on the property of the water
user (or the property occupied by the water user) in a condition satisfactory
to the City.
3.
For molesting or tampering, by the
water user, or others with the knowledge of the water user, with any
meter, connections, service pipe, curb cock, seal, valve, or any other
appliance of the City's controlling or regulating the water user's
water supply.
4.
For failure to provide the owner's
employees free and reasonable access to property supplied, or for
obstructing the way of ingress to the meter or other appliances controlling
or regulating the water user's water supply.
5.
For non-payment of any account for
water supplied, for water service or for meter or service maintenance,
or for any other fee or charge accruing under these rules and regulations,
the rate schedule of the City.
6.
In case of vacancy of the premises.
7.
For violation of any rules and regulations
of the City.
8.
For any practice or act prohibited
by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
9.
For the failure to allow any of the
City's employees, officers, agents, or representatives the right to
reasonably inspect the water user's premises for any purposes set
forth in these rules and regulations.
F.
The discontinuance of the supply of water
to a property for any reason shall not prevent the City from pursuing
any lawful remedy by action at law or otherwise for the collection
of monies due from the water user or property owner. Water will not
be turned on to any property unless there is at least one (1) adult
person therein at such time to see that all water outlets in the premises
are closed to prevent damage by escaping water. Only an employee,
officer or agent of the City may turn on the water and all applicants
and water users are expressly forbidden to do so.
[R.O. 1991 § 720.015; Ord. No. 824 § I, 3-12-1996; Ord.
No. 12-1121 §§ I – II, 12-11-2012]
A.
Cold Weather Rule. Utility customers who
are delinquent with their utility bill on the 25th day of the month
that the bill is due shall not be disconnected unless all of the following
are met:
1.
City personnel have made a reasonable
attempt, by phone or in person, to contact the utility customer on
the day of the scheduled disconnection.
2.
The National Weather Service forecast,
between the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 A.M. on the scheduled day
of utility service disconnection, predicts a temperature of thirty
degrees Fahrenheit (30° F.) or more for the following twenty-four-hour
period.
3.
The City's utility employees will
be available to reconnect service on the following day after utility
services have been disconnected.
B.
Hot Weather Rule. During the period between
June 1 and September 30, no residential customer shall be disconnected
from utility service for nonpayment of bills when electricity is used
as the source of cooling or to operate the only cooling equipment
at the residence during the following occurrences:
1.
On any day when the National Weather
Service local forecast between 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. for the following
twenty-four (24) hours predicts that the temperature shall rise above
ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit (95° F.) or that the heat index
shall rise above one hundred five degrees Fahrenheit (105° F.);
2.
On any day when utility personnel
are not available to reconnect utility service during the immediately
succeeding day or days and the National Weather Service local forecast
between 6:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. predicts that the temperature during
the period of unavailability shall rise above ninety-five degrees
Fahrenheit (95° F.) or that the heat index shall rise above one
hundred five degrees Fahrenheit (105° F.).
C.
In the event that all of the above criteria
have been met, then the City agrees not to disconnect the utilities
between the above-mentioned dates. If all of the above criteria are
not met, then the utility forbearance shall not be used, and such
service shall be disconnected.
[1]
Editor's Note: The ordinance of forbearance
set out above is to govern the City during the period of time between
November 1 and March 31 of each annual period.
