[Code 1991, § 18-1]
Unless otherwise specified, any person who shall violate any
of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
Any such person shall furthermore be liable for all damage, loss and
expense suffered or incurred by the City as a result of such violation.
[Code 1991, § 18-2]
If there is reasonable cause to suspect a violation of this
chapter, the City Manager or his duly authorized agent shall have
the authority to enter any lot or house wherein City water is used
to ascertain if there is any waste of water, and to inspect the plumbing.
If the City Manager or his designee is denied entry, he may apply
to the circuit court for an inspection warrant authorizing such investigation,
evaluation, inspection, testing or taking of samples for testing as
provided in Code of Virginia, § 19.2-393 et seq.
[Code 1991, § 18-3]
A.
No electrical conduits, poles, or other electrical devices or fixtures
shall be constructed, erected, laid, maintained, changed, or altered
above, below, or in any street, avenue, alley, park, or public place
in any part of the City, without the written consent of the City Manager.
B.
Every person maintaining or operating wires along the streets or
alleys of the City, for the conveyance of electric currents, shall
construct or operate their respective lines and plants so as to prevent
electrolytic corrosion or damage to, or any electric current upon,
any gas or water mains of the City or service pipes or connections
thereof.
C.
No electric, telephone or telegraph pole shall be located at the
corner of intersecting streets, without special permission from the
City Manager. This requirement shall apply to all poles that shall
be erected at or near such corners either in a new location, or in
replacing existing poles.
D.
On any pole of any electric, telephone, or telegraph company, used
jointly by two or more such companies, each company shall confine
its wires to spaces specified in joint use contracts or agreements
between the owners of such wires. A suitable zone on each pole shall
at all times be reserved for the free use of the City in stringing
its fire alarms or police telegraph wires in compliance with regulations
therefor under this chapter. The City reserves the right to order
the joint use of poles when, in the opinion of the City Manager, such
joint use of poles is necessary to avoid congestion of poles anywhere
in the City.
E.
Guying to trees shall be allowed only by special permission from
the City Manager as a temporary expedient.
F.
The City Manager may inspect all poles, wires and cables carrying
electric current. If the City Manager determines that a pole, wire
or cable is unsafe, he shall notify the owner of such pole, wire,
or cable to have it repaired, replaced or removed.
G.
Nothing in this section is intended to relieve any person of any
condition, restriction, or requirement imposed upon such person by
a franchise under which he has been authorized to operate in the City.
H.
Electric, telephone, and telegraph companies may install, remove
or repair wires and apparatus necessary for the conduct of their business
without obtaining permits. If such work is done with their own employees,
licensed electricians will not be required.
[Code 1991, § 18-4]
The provisions of this chapter shall apply to all property located
outside the City connected to the City sewer system.
[Code 1991, § 18-36; Ord. No. 98-27, 11-10-1998]
A.
Generally.
(1)
The City Manager shall have the authority to require any person requesting
water or sewer service to pay a deposit or advance payment as security
for the full and timely payment of such customer's utility bills.
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, such deposit shall be
not less than $10 and not more than the estimated charge for six months'
service, as determined by the City Manager. No interest shall be paid
on such deposits.
(2)
If the City Manager finds that the water and sewer deposit of any
existing utility customer is insufficient to ensure full and timely
payment of such person's water and sewer service bill, he shall
have the authority to increase the amount of such customer's
deposit to an amount he deems adequate to protect the City's
interests. Under no circumstances, however, shall such customer's
total deposit for water and sewer service exceed the estimated charge
for six months' service, as determined by the City Manager.
(3)
Persons requesting water and sewer service shall be responsible for
the payment of their water and sewer service bills, except that, where
an account consists of multiple residential or commercial units at
one address and the units receive service through a single meter,
then the owner of the property shall be responsible for payment of
utility bills.
B.
Reduction or waiver of deposit for residential customers.
(1)
The City Manager shall have the authority to reduce or waive water
and sewer deposits for new residential customers and accounts upon
a finding that the person requesting service possesses a satisfactory
credit record and meets all of the requirements of a written credit
policy to be developed and maintained by the City Manager. At his
discretion, the City Manager may utilize and rely upon one or more
commercial credit agencies in determining the creditworthiness of
new and existing utility customers.
(2)
After 12 consecutive months in which a residential customer has compiled
a satisfactory utility payment history and has paid all water and
sewer bills in full by each due date, the City Manager shall credit
any deposit paid by such person to his account and reflect such credit
on the customer's next billing statement. If a customer's
utility service is terminated for any reason, the City Manager may
withhold the refunding or crediting of such customer's deposit
until City personnel have read and removed any water meter serving
the property and have determined whether all obligations of the customer
have been fully performed.
[Code 1991, § 13-45]
A.
Any person who shall tamper with any metering device installed in
the public water supply system or sanitary sewer system owned and
operated by the City, or otherwise intentionally prevent such a metering
device from properly registering the degree, amount or quantity of
such water supplied or sewage conveyed, or who shall divert such water
or sewage without the authorization of the City Manager, shall be
guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
B.
The presence of any water or sewage metering device found to have
been altered, tampered with, or bypassed in a manner that would cause
such metering device to inaccurately measure and register the degree,
amount or quantity of such service supplied, or which would cause
such service to be diverted from the recording apparatus of the meter,
shall be prima facie evidence of intent to violate and of the violation
of this section by the person to whose benefit it is that such water
or sewage be unmetered, unregistered or diverted.
[Ord. No. 12-10,[1] 5-8-2012]
A.
Bills for water and sewer service fees and charges are due and payable
upon receipt. Any bill not paid by the first business day after the
25th day of the first month after the date of the bill is considered
delinquent. Delinquent bills shall be assessed a one-time penalty
of 10% of the balance owed on the bill at the time of delinquency,
not to exceed $100. A delinquent notice shall be sent to customers
at such time as their account becomes delinquent.[2]
[2]
Editor’s Note: Ord. No. 19-05, adopted 2-12-2019, suspended
the imposition of penalties under this section for late payment of
bills for one billing cycle for bills that became due and owing in
January and February 2019.
B.
No sooner than 15 calendar days after the date of delinquency, the
City Treasurer shall request that the City Manager turn off City water
from the premises of any customer who is in arrears for water or sanitary
sewer assessments. The City Treasurer shall have authority to extend,
but not to shorten, the date for service cut-off.
C.
There shall be a service and administrative processing fee of $35
for reconnection of service. There shall be an additional charge of
$20 for restoration of service after 4:00 p.m.
D.
Water service, when discontinued, shall remain turned off until all
water or sanitary sewer fees and charges are paid with such penalty
and interest to the date of payment.
E.
It shall be unlawful for any person to turn on the water on such
premises without the permission of the City Manager or his designee.
It shall be unlawful for any delinquent customer, whose water has
been turned off, to connect to City water lines from the premises
of another person, and it shall be unlawful for any person to allow
such delinquent customer to obtain water from a hydrant while the
water of such delinquent customer remains cut off.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided that it shall
become effective 1-1-2012 and be applied beginning with the first
billing cycle in July.
