[Code 1962 §31-17; CC 1979 §30-167; Ord. No. 640 §§1, 2, 7-5-1966; Ord. No. 736 §1, 3-19-1970; Ord. No. 789 §1, 5-18-1971; Ord. No. 903 §1, 6-17-1975; Ord. No. 926 §1, 6-1-1976; Ord. No. 983 §1, 1-5-1978; Ord. No. 993 §1, 4-4-1978; Ord. No. 1045 §1, 7-10-1979; Ord. No. 1086 §1, 6-27-1980; Ord. No. 1181 §1, 5-24-1983; Ord. No. 87-24 §1, 9-29-1987; Ord. No. 88-43 §1, 9-27-1988; Ord. No. 93-39 §1, 9-23-1993; Ord. No. 94-27 §I, 9-20-1994; Ord. No. 95-43 §I, 9-19-1995; Ord. No. 96-43 §I, 9-17-1996; Ord. No. 97-34 §I, 9-30-1997; Ord. No. 98-34 §I, 9-15-1998; Ord. No. 99-34 §1, 9-21-1999; Ord. No. 38-2000 §1, 9-19-2000; Ord. No. 83-2001 §1, 9-18-2001; Ord. No. 118-2002 §1, 9-26-2002; Ord. No. 150-2003 §1, 9-23-2003; Ord. No. 258-2006 §1, 9-5-2006; Ord. No. 309-2007 §1, 9-18-2007; Ord. No. 351-2008 §1, 9-16-2008; Ord. No. 457-2010 §3, 1-4-2011; Ord. No. 24-2017, 8-15-2017; Ord. No. 430-2023, 8-1-2023; Ord. No. 512-2024, 5-21-2024; Ord. No. 643-2025, 7-19-2025]
A. 
Generation Of Revenue.
1. 
The user charge system shall generate adequate annual revenues to pay the cost of annual operation and maintenance including replacement and cost associated with debt retirement of bonded capital associated with financing the water system which the City may by ordinance designate to be paid by the user charge system. That portion of the total user charge which is designated for operation and maintenance including replacement of the water system shall be established by ordinance.
2. 
All funds collected from user charges shall be deposited in the water section of the Water Wastewater Enterprise Fund which is a non-lapsing fund. A separate fund will be established specifically for the replacement account.
a. 
The Replacement Fund shall be designated for the purpose of ensuring replacement needs over the life of the water system. Deposits in the Replacement Fund shall be made annually for the replacement revenue in the amount of two hundred one million six hundred eighty-eight thousand thirty dollars seventy-three cents ($1,688,030.73) as set forth in the 2023 Rate Study's Appendix C - Water Utility Replacement Schedule and Replacement Fund Annual Annuity.
3. 
Fiscal year-end balances in the Water Wastewater Enterprise Fund and replacement account shall be carried over to the same accounts in each subsequent fiscal year, and shall be used for no other purpose than those designated for these accounts.
B. 
User Rate Structure.
1. 
Each user shall pay for the services provided by the City based on use of the water system as determined by water meter(s) acceptable to the City.
2. 
All monthly user charges will be based on monthly water usage.
3. 
All water users shall be charged as of October 1, 2025:
a. 
Base rate per connection.
Meter Size
Charge Per Month
1 inch and less
$13.97
1.5 inch
$28.09
2 inch
$45.21
3 inch
$103.52
4 inch
$163.39
6 inch
$320.94
8 — 10 inch
$513.52
b. 
Up to and including 100,000 gallons: $7.77 per 1,000 gallons.
c. 
All usage over 100,000 gallons: $5.75 per 1,000 gallons.
4. 
The user rate structure is based off of the 2023 Rate Study, including the appendices thereto. The user rate structure shall be reviewed annually to insure that revenues are adequate to meet requirements set forth in this Section.
[Code 1962 §31-18; CC 1979 §30-168; Ord. No. 119-2002 §1, 9-26-2002]
There is hereby imposed a monthly water meter fee. The minimum monthly water meter fee to be charged each consumer shall be determined by the size of meter connection through which the consumer received water as follows:
Size of Meter
Monthly Water Meter Fee
Residential 5/8and 3/4 inch Radio Read
$1.49
1 inch Radio Read
$2.33
1 1/2 inch Radio Read
$4.24
2 inch Radio Read
$5.72
Business Turbo Meters
1 1/2 inch
$11.59
2 inch
$13.02
3 inch
$14.41
4 inch
$20.45
6 inch
$46.57
Compound Meters
2 inch
$26.88
4 inch
$49.17
6 inch
$67.19
Fire Line Meters
4 inch
$97.82
6 inch
$135.28
8 inch
$174.33
10 inch
$254.42
[Code 1962 §31-20; CC 1979 §30-170; Ord. No. 1133 §1(B), 4-20-1982; Ord. No. 38-2000 §2, 9-19-2000; Ord. No. 83-2001 §2, 9-18-2001; Ord. No. 120-2002 §1, 9-26-2002]
A. 
All water bills are due and payable on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of each month following billing except when service is discontinued, in which event bills are due and payable immediately upon discontinuance of service.
B. 
In the event payment is not made on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of the month on which a bill becomes due and payable, a penalty in the amount of twelve percent (12%) (minimum charge one dollar twenty-five cents ($1.25)) of the water revenue overdue shall be charged to the consumer's account by the City Collector.
C. 
In the event payment is not made within seven (7) days following the date on which the bill becomes due and payable, service may be discontinued by the City and the deposit required by Section 710.030 shall be forfeited to the City.
D. 
In the event of the exercise of the right to discontinue service as herein provided, the City Collector shall give notice in writing twenty-four (24) hours prior to discontinuance of such service by ordinary mail.
E. 
A turn-on charge of twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be paid to the City Collector before water service may be installed or restored to a consumer to whom service has been discontinued under the provisions of this Section.
[Ord. No. 282-2022, 2-15-2022]
F. 
For the purposes of this Section, a consumer's water bill shall be construed to include both their domestic service line and their fire service line, regardless of whether such lines are metered separately, and a consumer's domestic service line may be discontinued for non-payment of their fire service line.
[Ord. No. 406-2023, 5-2-2023]
[Ord. No. 129-2020, 12-15-2020]
A. 
All water which passes through the water meter shall be purchased by the user. Users are responsible for keeping their plumbing repaired and in good working order.
B. 
To qualify for a leak adjustment, the following conditions must be satisfied:
1. 
Water loss from a leak must result in a monthly water bill for which an adjustment is requested of at least two (2) times the average of the user's three (3) preceding monthly water bills. Provided the user timely reported and repaired the leak, the month in which the leak occurred shall be excluded in calculating the user's average water bill for the preceding three-month period. When a residential user does not have three (3) months water usage history with the City, then the City shall use the American Water Works Association standard of water used per person per month to compute the user's average use.
2. 
The leak must have been concealed and not readily detectable by a reasonable person such as a leak in an underground water service line between the meter and the exterior of a building or within walls or under floors of a building.
3. 
The user must submit proof to the City that the leak has been located and repaired. The user must present the City with an affidavit or written statement from a plumber that the leak has been located and repaired unless the City Manager determines that the user was capable of repairing the leak and the user presents proof that such repair was made.
4. 
A leak must be repaired within thirty (30) days of the due date of the bill which shows the user has a water leak. When a user is notified of a leak by the City the leak must be repaired within thirty (30) days of receiving such notice.
5. 
The user must submit an official leak adjustment request form to the City which form can be obtained by contacting the City.
6. 
When the user has a chronic leak, the City may require the replacement of the pipe before a leak adjustment is made.
C. 
No leak adjustment will be made for the following:
1. 
Leaking faucets and toilets;
2. 
Faucets, hoses and other water outlets left running;
3. 
Leaks from frozen pipes;
4. 
Water used for filling swimming pools, washing cars and irrigating lawns and gardens;
5. 
Leaks from swimming pool systems and from irrigation systems; and
6. 
Leaks in the user's service line or plumbing past the water meter within one (1) year after the user occupies a newly constructed residence or business.
D. 
Only one (1) bill, or two (2) consecutive bills if the leak affects two (2) billing cycles, will be adjusted in any consecutive twelve-month period. The leak adjustment will only be made in the billing cycle in which the leak is repaired.
E. 
The leak adjustment will be calculated as follows:
STEP 1: An "average monthly bill" for the user will be calculated from the user's three (3) preceding monthly bills excluding the month in which the leak occurred. When the user does not have three (3) months of prior water usage with the City, the user's "average monthly bill" will be computed using the American Water Works Association standard of water used per person per month.
STEP 2: Subtract the average monthly bill from STEP 1 from the total of the billing being adjusted to establish the amount of the overage.
STEP 3: Divide the overage from STEP 2 by two (2) for the adjustment.
STEP 4: The adjusted billing amount will include the average monthly bill plus the adjustment from STEP 3 plus sales tax and any other charges that may apply.
F. 
The City will consider adjusting a user's sewer bill when a water leak does or does not qualify for an adjustment provided the water from the leak does not enter the City's sewer system such as a leak in a user's underground water service line between the meter and the exterior of a building, outdoor faucet, irrigation system or swimming pool system. The sewer may be adjusted to the average usage.
G. 
An adjustment to a user's sewer bill will be made when the amount of water used to fill a swimming pool exceeds five thousand (5,000) gallons by calculating the amount of water required to fill the pool and deducting this water usage amount from the calculation of the monthly sewer service charges. Only one (1) adjustment for the filling of a swimming pool will be made a year. No adjustment will be made to the user's water bill for the filling of a swimming pool.
H. 
The City Manager may approve bill adjustments for leaks which qualify for a leak adjustment under this rule for amounts of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) or less. All water and sewer adjustments in excess of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) must be approved by the City Council.
[Ord. No. 446-2023, 9-19-2023]
A. 
Water and sanitary sewer services shall be deemed to be furnished to both the occupant and owner of the premises receiving either or both of such services.
B. 
To the extent authorized by State Statute, delinquent charges for water services or sanitary sewer services shall be a lien upon the land so charged for such service or services, upon the filing of a notice of delinquency with the Recorder of Deeds. The lien hereby created may be enforced by suit or foreclosure.
C. 
The Director of Finance is authorized to file, on behalf of the City, the notice of delinquency as provided in Subsection (B) of this Section, subject to the following limitations:
1. 
If the account is three (3) or more months delinquent or the total amount of such delinquency is five hundred dollars ($500.00) or more.
2. 
The limitations provided by this Subsection shall not prohibit the Director of Finance, or the Council, from pursuing other remedies provided by Statute or ordinance.
D. 
Upon the written request of any owner whose land has become subject to a lien as provided in Subsection (B) of this Section, within thirty (30) days of the filing of such lien, the Director of Finance shall hold a hearing to ascertain all facts in the matter. The owner requesting such hearing shall be entitled to all rights applicable to a contested case under State administrative review and procedure law. The Director shall prepare written findings and conclusions determining whether the amount of the charges was properly computed, whether such charges were delinquent, or whether the lien should be removed or released for any factual or legal reason. If, after hearing, the Director finds and concludes that the lien should be removed or released, the Director shall take any necessary action to remove or release the lien from the property. The owner of such land must pay in advance a seventy-five dollar ($75.00) fee, to cover in part the cost of hearing the case, and preparing the written response. If upon finding that the lien should be removed or released the fee should be returned or refunded to the property owner requesting the hearing.