[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:
Base Rate
$15.00
Tier 1 (0 — 2,000 gallons per month)
$3.71 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof
Tier 2 (2,001 — 5,000 gallons per month)
$7.00 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof
Tier 3 (5,001 — 8,000 gallons per month)
$8.00 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof
Tier 4 (over 8,001 gallons per month)
$9.00 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof
[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:
For customers with a meter of 1 inch or smaller
$3.00 per year
Meter size more than 1 inch and less than 4 inches
$11.00 per year
Meter size 4 inches or more
$29.00 per year
[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:
1. 
The balance of the account in full.
2. 
A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for the returned check.
3. 
A fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) to reconnect the water service.
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.