[R.O. 2003 §700.020; Ord. No. 484 §69.020, 8-1-1991; Ord. No. 493 §69.020, 6-4-1992; Ord.
No. 511 §700.200, 1-6-1994; Ord. No. 723, 10-7-2004; Ord. No. 1018, 8-1-2018]
A.
The monthly rates required and which shall be charged and collected
by the City of Buckner, Missouri, for water and water services furnished
by the combined waterworks and sewage system of the City of Buckner,
Missouri, shall be as follows:
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Base Rate
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$15.00
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Tier 1 (0 — 2,000 gallons per month)
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$3.71 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof
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Tier 2 (2,001 — 5,000 gallons per month)
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$7.00 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof
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Tier 3 (5,001 — 8,000 gallons per month)
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$8.00 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof
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Tier 4 (over 8,001 gallons per month)
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$9.00 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof
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[R.O. 2003 §700.025; Ord. No. 502 §§1-2, 12-3-1992]
A.
When Collected. The Missouri State "Primacy" fee
will be collected annually in the month of December beginning December
1993. This fee will be stated separately on the customer's water bill
as a "State Fee."
B.
Amount Of State Fee. The charge assessed against
each customer of the City utility as established by the State is determined
on the basis of meter size as stated below. The City shall use its
records to determine the initial fee, which, unless challenged within
thirty (30) days after the date the fee becomes delinquent, shall
be conclusively presumed to be accurate:
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For customers with a meter of 1 inch or smaller
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$3.00 per year
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Meter size more than 1 inch and less than 4 inches
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$11.00 per year
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Meter size 4 inches or more
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$29.00 per year
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[R.O. 2003 §700.030; Ord. No. 393 §69.025, 11-5-1981]
Any water user may apply for temporary discontinuance of water
service by notification in writing to the City Clerk. Any user who
has requested such discontinuances may have service restored by written
notification to the City Clerk. During the period service has been
discontinued, the user may be required to pay a minimum monthly charge
for bond retirement.
[R.O. 2003 §700.040]
The City of Buckner hereby declares that its existing waterworks
and existing sewer system shall be operated and maintained as a combined
Waterworks and Sewage System which shall include all future improvements
extensions and maintenance whether to the Waterworks or to the Sewage
System or to both and hereby finds and determines that the rates,
fees and charges for the combined waterworks and sewerage system of
the City are necessary and adequate at this time to meet the requirements
of State Law.
[R.O. 2003 §700.045; Ord. No. 628 §1, 9-7-2000]
A.
When Collected. The Missouri State "Sewer Service
Connection Fee" will be collected annually in the month of June beginning
June 1, 2001. This fee will be stated separately on the customer's
sewer bill as a "State Fee." The bill shall be annually collected
so long as the City of Buckner is required to collect the fee.
B.
Amount Of State Fee. The charge assessed against
each customer of the City, established by the State, is determined
on the basis of the number of customers serviced by the City. The
City shall use its records to determine the initial fee which is prescribed
by Missouri Statute.
[R.O. 2003 §700.050; Ord. No. 368 §69.040, 3-26-1980]
A.
All water meters shall be read and bills for water and sewerage services
shall be rendered monthly as such services accrue. The City Clerk
or other office or representative of the City designated to prepare
and render bills for water and sewerage services shall calculate monthly
the amount of each bill for water service and sewerage service and
shall render monthly to each customer a combined bill for such water
and sewerage services.
B.
All such bills shall be due and payable at the office of the City
Clerk during the regular hours of business from and after the date
of the rendition thereof.
[R.O. 2003 §700.060; Ord. No. 368 §69.050, 3-26-1980; Ord. No. 783 §2, 10-18-2007]
If any bill for water services shall remain due and unpaid after
the 15th day of each month thereof, an additional charge of ten percent
(10%) thereof shall be added thereto. If any bill for water service
shall continue to remain late the following billing cycle a notice
of shutoff (the 16th of the month unless it falls on a Friday, Saturday,
Sunday or Holiday) and the date to be shut off will be highlighted
on the water bill.
[R.O. 2003 §700.070; Ord. No. 368 §69.060, 3-26-1980; Ord. No. 558 §700.070, 5-1-1997; Ord.
No. 743 §2, 6-1-2006; Ord. No. 909 §2, 6-4-2009; Ord.
No. 1012, 6-3-2010; Ord. No. 1031, 11-4-2010; Ord. No. 1026, 7-18-2019]
A.
If any bill for water service shall be and remain past due and unpaid
for as long as thirty (30) days, customer(s) will be notified that
service to such customer(s) shall be discontinued and shall not be
reconnected until all past due bills are paid in full, together with
a reconnection charge of fifty dollars ($50.00). Should a customer
with disconnected service desire to be reconnected during non-business
hours, this shall be done only with the approval of the Mayor or City
Administrator. All past-due bills and reconnection fees shall be paid
in cash, money order, cashier's check, debit card or credit card.
B.
In the event the City gets a check back for a water account that
will not clear the bank, the City will shut off the water service
and the resident will owe:
C.
In
the event a customer is unable to timely make payments for water service,
the customer should refer to the following payment arrangement policy:
1.
All past due utility service charges must be paid in full by the date referenced in Section 700.090(A) at which time customer's water will be shut off ("shut-off date").
2.
Customers who are unable to meet their financial obligation for utility
services rendered due to temporary circumstances are encouraged to
seek the appropriate financial institution or social service agency
assistance in order to meet the requirements of their utility charges
for the current period in order to avoid the delinquency deadline
and service termination/shut-off proceedings. Temporary circumstances,
may include, but are not limited to: unemployment, a death in the
immediate family, the customer's extended illness or abnormally high
medical expenses. The customer must notify the City, in writing, within
thirty (30) days of receiving notice of delinquent payment that the
customer is seeking financial assistance.
3.
Upon receiving written notice from the customer, the City may, at
its sole discretion, enter into a written payment arrangement with
the customer, provided that the customer can: (1) make a showing of
financial need; and (2) prove that he or she has made a good faith
attempt to obtain assistance from a bonafide social service agency
or financial institution and that assistance was denied or otherwise
unavailable. The City Administrator or his or her designee may require
any customer seeking to enter into a payment arrangement to verify,
by affidavit, the customer's financial need and/or good faith attempt
to obtain other assistance.
4.
Customers must provide written evidence to the City at least (10)
ten days prior to the shut off date that arrangements have been made
between the customer and a bonafide social service agency or financial
institution. The City must verify by the shut off day of the current
billing month. The customer also has the option to enter into a written
payment arrangement with the City, the terms of which must be agreed
to by five (5) business days prior to the shut off date.
5.
Upon receipt of the written evidence and verification of payment assistance by the Utility Billing Office, the City shall extend the shut-off date for the given individual by an additional twenty (20) business days. Individuals may seek no more than three (3) payment assistance payment extensions in a calendar year. This Subsection does not apply if the customer and the City have entered into a written payment arrangement as reference in Section 700.090(C)(4).
6.
No extension will be granted based on personal credit or promises
to pay by individual utility customers.
7.
All payment extension applications must be submitted in writing,
signed by the customer, a representative of the bonafide service agency
or financial institution providing assistance to the customer, if
applicable, and the City Administrator or his or her designee and
filed with the Utility Billing Office.
8.
Failure of the social service agency or financial institution to remit payment within twenty (20) business days will subject the customer to proceedings under Section 700.090, Discontinue of Service.
9.
If the social service agency or financial institution cannot guarantee
payment in full within the twenty (20) day time limit, written notice
from the institution must accompany the application for payment assistance
payment extension and explicitly state when payment will be remitted
to the City. The City reserves the right to agree or disagree to terms
set forth by the service agency or financial institution regarding
payment of the past due account. The City reserves the right to shut
off water utility service if payment is not received by the service
agency or financial institution.
10.
Utility services that have already been disconnected for non-payment are not eligible for payment extensions. All charges associated with said accounts must be paid in full in cash, debit/credit card or money orders prior to service reestablishment in accordance with Section 700.090(A).
11.
Continuing requests for payment arrangements will not be accepted.
Once payment arrangement options as established above are exhausted,
non-payment will result in termination of services and water will
be shut off.
12.
The City reserves the right at any time to extend payment arrangements
and/or collect payment through any recognized industry which specialized
in debt collection management services.
13.
The City reserves the right to use its discretion to enter into a payment agreement with a customer that may be unaffected by the requirements of Section 700.090(C).
[Ord. No. 1107 §1, 4-7-2011; Ord. No. 1115 §1, 7-7-2011]
A.
It shall be unlawful for any owners/residence in the City limits
of Buckner, Missouri to be inhabited unless the dwelling has functional
running water.
B.
At least one sink, lavatory, bathtub or shower, drinking fountain,
water closet or other plumbing fixture shall be properly connected
to either a public water system or to an approved private water system
and be functional while residents are inhabiting the premises for
safety and sanitation reasons. All kitchen sinks, lavatories, laundry
facilities, bathtubs and showers shall be supplied with hot or tempered
and cold running water.
C.
All plumbing fixtures shall be properly installed and maintained
in working order and shall be kept free from obstructions, leaks and
defects and be capable of performing the function for which such plumbing
fixtures are designed. All plumbing fixtures shall be maintained in
a safe, sanitary and functional condition.
D.
You must have water service restored within five (5) business days.
You must vacate the premises if water is not restored. If you choose
to stay on the premises without water, you will be cited and required
to appear in court.
E.
Violations and Penalties. Any person violating any
of the provisions of this Section shall be deemed guilty of an ordinance
violation and upon conviction thereof may be fined in an amount not
exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) or be imprisoned for a period
not exceeding six (6) months or be so fined and imprisoned. Each incident
such violation is committed or permitted to continue shall constitute
a separate offense and shall be punishable as such hereunder.
[R.O. 2003 §700.080; Ord. No. 368 §69.070, 3-26-1980; Ord. No. 583 §1, 9-3-1998; Ord.
No. 598 §1, 7-1-1999; Ord. No. 613 §1, 2-3-2000; Ord.
No. 717 §1, 7-1-2004]
A.
Application for water services shall be made to the City Clerk or
other person designated by the Board of Aldermen by the owner or occupant
of the property to be served, and upon the approval of such application,
such applicant shall have the right to connect with the City's combined
waterworks and sewerage system, all costs of such connection to be
borne by such applicant. The Board of Aldermen may hereafter prescribe
a connection charge to be paid by any such applicant at the time of
his application. The fee for connection to the sewer main shall be
one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00). The residential water
tap fee shall be one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) with
supplies furnished by the City. Commercial and R-3 with a meter size
up to one (1) inch: water tap fees shall be one thousand five hundred
dollars ($1,500.00) with supplies furnished by the City. Commercial
and R-3 with a meter size above one (1) inch: water tap fees shall
be one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500.00) with supplies furnished
by the owner.
B.
The connection fees shall be allocated as follows:
1.
Water Connection Fee. Four hundred dollars
($400.00) shall be placed in accounts designated to the operating
costs associated with materials, installation and observation. The
remainder of one thousand one hundred dollars ($1,100.00) shall be
placed in accounts designated to the water side of the system's capital
improvement plan of the City.
2.
Sewer Connection Fee. Fifty dollars ($50.00)
shall be placed in accounts designated to the operating costs associated
with materials, installation and observation. The remainder of one
thousand four hundred fifty dollars ($1,450.00) shall be placed in
accounts designated to the sewer side of the system's capital improvement
plan of the City.
[R.O. 2003 §700.090; Ord. No. 368 §69.080, 3-26-1980]
The occupant and user of the premises receiving water and sewerage
services, or either of them, shall be jointly and severally liable
to pay for such services rendered on said premises. The City shall
have power to use the occupant of such real estate in a civil action
to receive any sums due for such services, plus a reasonable attorney's
fee to be fixed by the court.
[Ord. No. 769, 8-2-2007; Ord.
No. 1037, 3-5-2020]
A.
Landlord And Tenant Jointly Responsible For Utility Bills. Every
property owner and tenant shall be jointly responsible for any utility
charges or fees left unpaid by any tenant of the premises served by
the water or sewer utility and where the landlord or property owner
fails to pay the utility charges a lien will be attached to said property.
B.
Delinquent Accounts. When a tenant is delinquent in payment for thirty
(30) days, the City shall make a good faith effort to notify the owner
of the premises receiving such service of the delinquency and the
amount thereof. Any notice of termination of service shall be sent
to both the occupant and owner of the premises receiving such service.
When a tenant is delinquent more than sixty (60) days, the City of
Buckner reserves the ability, in its sole discretion, to shut off
utilities to the premises receiving water service until the account
is paid in full.
C.
Landlord Options.
1.
Duplicate Billing. Normal City practice is to only bill the
tenant for the utility service provided. Upon written request, the
City will send a duplicate bill each month to the landlord, so the
landlord can determine to his/her satisfaction that the bill is paid.
It is the responsibility of the landlord to notify the City if this
direction is not being followed. Regardless of duplicate billing,
landlord shall not be excused from liability if the tenant fails to
pay.
2.
Written Introduction Of Tenants. The City normally accepts a
completed water meter deposit application from a tenant directing
that utility service be turned on at a landlord's property. Any landlord
may instruct that no utility service will be provided unless the landlord
sends with the tenant a written introduction and instruction to turn
on the utility service.
D.
Penalty; Severability; Effective Date. This Section shall be in full
force and effective upon its passage and approval, except that landlords
will not be liable for unpaid delinquent utility bills incurred before
the effective date of this Section, unless the utility customer remains
a tenant of the landlord for ninety (90) days past the effective date
of this Section. The provisions of this Section are severable, as
provided in Section 1.140 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri.
[R.O. 2003 §700.100; Ord. No. 368 §69.090, 3-26-1980]
Water service shall be supplied only through water meters installed
and meeting the City's specifications, and only one (1) connection
shall be permitted to each water meter. No free water service shall
be furnished to any premises, or to the owner or occupant thereof,
except to the City itself. In the event that the revenues derived
by the City from its combined waterworks and sewerage system shall
at any time prove insufficient to pay the cost of maintenance, any
operation thereof and to pay the interest on and principal of the
combined waterworks and sewerage system, revenue bonds of the City
issued to construct, extend or improve such system or any part thereof,
and to establish and maintain reasonable reserves as provided in the
ordinance authorizing the issuance of such bond, then the City will
thereafter pay a fair and reasonable charge for all water and sewerage
services, or water service, or sewerage service, furnished the City.
Such payments will continue so long as the same may be necessary in
order to prevent any default in the payment of the interest on or
principal of the combined waterworks and sewerage system revenue bonds
of the City, or while any such default shall exist.
[R.O. 2003 §700.110; Ord. No. 368 §69.100, 3-26-1980]
It shall be unlawful for the Osage Fire District or any other
person, firm or corporation to take water from a fire hydrant without
the consent of the Water Superintendent or other person designated
by the Mayor, and then only when the water is measured through a meter
provided by the Osage Fire District, other firm, person or corporation,
except when taking water from said fire hydrants to fight fires within
the City limits of Buckner, Missouri.
[R.O. 2003 §700.120; Ord. No. 368 §69.110, 3-26-1980; Ord. No. 558 §700.120, 5-1-1997; Ord.
No. 744 §2, 6-1-2006; Ord. No. 1063, 1-20-2022; Ord. No. 1065, 7-7-2022]
A.
A meter
deposit of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for tenants and property
owners shall be required of each resident or business before receiving
water services. This deposit shall be charged and collected by the
Clerk of the Water Department before water services are to be furnished.
This deposit shall be security for the user's next monthly service
charge and no interest shall be paid on the deposit. Upon evidence
of all charges for the use of the meter and water have been paid in
full and service is disconnected, the meter deposit shall be refunded.
B.
For
all owner-occupied residential accounts where the account has never
been shut off for non-payment, and for any account that has never
used a payment arrangement plan, said accounts shall be eligible for
a full credit of the water meter deposit originally paid by the account
holder. No commercial or rental property accounts shall be eligible
for the credit under this Section. For any account holder that has
received a water meter deposit credit, and misses a subsequent water
bill payment deadline, is shut-off, or uses a payment arrangement
plan, said account holder will be required to submit a one hundred
dollar ($100.00) water meter deposit.
[R.O. 2003 §700.130; Ord. No. 493 §69.120, 6-4-1992]
The charge for bulk water sales shall be twenty-five cents ($0.25)
per seventy-five (75) gallons of water.
