[Adopted 3-18-1986 by Ord. No. 682; amended in its entirety 1-5-2004 by Ord. No.
892 (Ch. XXIV, Part 1, of the 1993 Code of Ordinances)]
The rates, rules and regulations of the utility, Borough of
West Reading, Pennsylvania, be and are hereby established as set forth
in tarticle.
[Amended 12-21-2004 by Ord. No. 910; 1-16-2007 by Ord. No. 946; 4-25-2011 by Ord. No. 998]
A.
Water rates and charges. The water rates and charges for water service
by the Borough of West Reading, within its limits, shall be as follows:
[Amended 2-18-2014 by Ord. No. 1025; 1-20-2015 by Ord. No. 1039; 1-24-2017 by Ord. No. 1069; 1-16-2018 by Ord. No. 1077; 12-18-2018 by Ord. No. 1104; 12-17-2019 by Ord. No. 1120[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance provided that the increased
rates and charges shall be applicable to all water consumers on and
after 1-1-2020.
B.
Ready-to-serve charges. In addition to the above rates for the consumption
of water, the following amounts shall be paid by the customers termed
ready-to-serve charges:
|
Meter Size
|
Monthly Rate
|
Quarterly Rate
|
|---|---|---|
|
3/4"
|
$12
|
$36
|
|
1"
|
$19.20
|
$57.60
|
|
1 1/2"
|
$32.40
|
$97.20
|
|
2"
|
$50.40
|
$151.20
|
|
3"
|
$94.80
|
$284.40
|
|
4"
|
$148.80
|
$446.40
|
|
6"
|
$288
|
$864
|
|
8"
|
$518.40
|
$1,555.20
|
|
10"
|
$921.60
|
$2,764.80
|
|
12"
|
To be determined on a case-by-case basis
| |
C.
Private fire meter service.
(1)
Customers having private fire service connections shall pay, in addition
to the established meter rates for all water used, except that used
to extinguish fires, the following amounts, which are hereby termed
fire service standby charges:
|
Meter Size
|
Quarterly Rate
|
|---|---|
|
4" and under
|
$194.40
|
|
6"
|
$334.80
|
|
8"
|
$529.20
|
|
10"
|
$759.60
|
|
12"
|
$1,080
|
(2)
When water metered through a fire water service meter has been used
without the consent of the Borough for a use other than to extinguish
fires, all water consumed for such unauthorized use shall be charged
at the regular monthly or quarterly meter rates for water service
in the Borough.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The water shutoff valve on the water service connection,
to any customer, installed and owned by the utility and located at
or near the curbline or edge of the right-of-way line.
The owner, owners or tenant (as defined herein) contracting
for the use of water service as hereinafter limited and classified:
A building under one roof and occupied as one business or residence;
A combination of buildings in one common enclosure or residence;
One side of a semidetached dwelling house having a solid vertical
partition wall;
One side or part of a dwelling house occupied by one family
even though the water closet and/or other fixtures are to be used
in common;
Each room or group of rooms in a building occupied or intended
for occupancy as a separate business or as separate living quarters
by a family or other group of persons living together or by a person
living alone, the water fixtures of which are not used in common;
An industrial commercial or manufacturing establishment; or
Any mobile home.
The service line between the curb stop and the water meter,
including pipes, valves and appurtenances. The customer service line
shall be installed, owned and maintained by the customer.
EDU or equivalent dwelling unit shall equal one for all residential customers. For nonresidential customers, it shall be as set forth in § 441-10D.
Those areas or lots fronting on suitable existing water mains
of the utility.
The person, firm, corporation or association having an interest
as owner, whether legal or equitable, sole or partial, in any premises
which is or is about to be supplied with water by the utility.
The water service pipe between the water main and the curb
stop installed, owned and maintained by the utility.
Anyone occupying the premises obtaining water from the mains
of the utility.
The Bureau of Water of the Borough of West Reading.
All back charges for water service prior to the effective date
of this article shall be at the rates in force during the periods
of such service, and all back charges for water service for periods
after the effective date of this article shall be as specified in
this article. Any amount paid on account shall be credited to back
charges and not to the current bill.
The following water services are available within the established
service zones:
A.
Five-eighths inch, 3/4 inch, one-inch, 1 1/2 inch, two-inch,
three-inch, four-inch, six-inch, eight-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch metered
domestic, commercial, industrial, public and wholesale services.
B.
Three-inch, four-inch, six-inch, eight-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch
compound metered services for fire protection only (automatic sprinklers
and privately installed and maintained fire hydrants).
Extension of service zones will be granted only where:
A.
Applications for water service shall be filed with the utility and
shall be accompanied by an affidavit or verification stating that
the information contained therein is true and correct. Applications
for water service shall contain the following information:
B.
The utility reserves the right to designate the size of the attachment
to be made.
C.
No application shall be granted for water service for any customer
who is indebted to the Borough for water service.
D.
Any owner desiring the introduction of water service from the utility's
main into said owner's premises shall first make written application
to the utility on the form furnished by the utility at least one week
prior to the time when such service will be required. The application
shall state the exact time when the trench from the main to the property
will be ready for making the connection.
(1)
The application must be signed by the property owner, or his duly
authorized agent, which application shall, together with this article,
regulate and control the service to such premises.
(2)
The application must be accompanied by a connection fee for each
water service connection as hereinafter provided. The fee shall be
comprised of the following two parts:
(3)
The service connections shall be installed only after approval by
the utility. The utility shall approve the application only after
determining that a main with adequate available capacity does exist
in the public street or on a private right-of-way along or through
the property to be served, and said main must extend across the total
frontage of the deeded property. In instances where the required main
or mains do not exist, the applicant shall enter into an extension
agreement with the utility.
(4)
The utility shall determine the size and style of the meter to be
installed; however, in no case shall the meter be more than one commercial
size below the size of the service connection line. The meter and
connections shall become the property of the utility, and access to
the same for reading of the meter, inspection, testing, repairs, etc.,
shall be permitted at all reasonable times by the customer.
(5)
A 5/8 inch meter shall be the smallest meter to be installed on a
service line for domestic use; however, this size meter shall be considered
as being adequate for only one customer or EDU.
(6)
Where
two or three customers or EDUs receive their water supply through
a single meter, the meter size shall be at least 3/4 inch; and where
four or more customers or EDUs receive their supply through a single
meter, the size shall be a minimum one inch.
(7)
All new commercial, residential and industrial customers shall be
billed tapping fee charges based upon equivalent dwelling units as
established in the following EDU schedule or upon estimated daily
consumption by the customer's architect or engineer, subject to approval
by the utility.
|
Water EDU Schedule
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Category
|
Equivalent Dwelling Units
| ||
|
Residential
|
1
| ||
|
Each retail store, office, business or industry
| |||
|
Up to 8 employees
|
1
| ||
|
Each additional 4 employees or fraction thereof
|
1/2
| ||
|
Each business or industry providing showers for employees
| |||
|
Up to 6 employees
|
1
| ||
|
Each additional 3 employees or fraction thereof
|
1/2
| ||
|
Funeral home
|
2
| ||
|
Each school, public or private
| |||
|
Toilet facilities only: per 40 pupils and staff or fraction
thereof
|
1
| ||
|
Toilet facilities and kitchen: per 30 pupils and staff or fraction
thereof
|
1
| ||
|
Toilet facilities and gymnasium: per 25 pupils and staff or
fraction thereof
|
1
| ||
|
Toilet facilities, kitchen and gymnasium: per 20 pupils and
staff or fraction thereof
|
1
| ||
|
Each hotel: per 4 rental rooms or fraction thereof
|
1
| ||
|
Each restaurant, club or tavern: per 15 seats or fraction thereof
|
1
| ||
|
Each church
|
1
| ||
|
Each firehouse or hall
|
1
| ||
|
Each service station or automobile repair garage
| |||
|
Up to 2 bays
|
2
| ||
|
Each additional bay over 2
|
1/2
| ||
|
Each barbershop or beauty shop attached to or part of an owner's
residence
|
1/2
| ||
|
Each barbershop or beauty shop not attached to or part of an
owner's residence
|
1 1/2
| ||
|
Each laundromat: per 5 washers or fraction thereof
|
1
| ||
|
Each convalescent home: per 2 beds
|
1
| ||
E.
The utility shall install the water service to a point 12 inches
on the customer's side of the curbline, including the curb stop and
box, and provide restoration of the street surface at the applicant's
expense. The utility shall maintain the services within the above
limits.
A.
The customer shall install and maintain at his own expense all service
pipes and fixtures to and on his premises from the end of the utility's
service at a point 12 inches on the customer's side of the curbline.
All fixtures connected with the water system shall be construed as
being a part of the service pipe. If the utility in its excavation
for the repair of a leak finds the leak to be on a private pipe, the
customer to whom the pipe belongs shall be liable to the utility for
all expenses thereby incurred by the utility.
B.
All material and labor for service pipe installations shall conform
to the most recent addition of the National Standard Plumbing Code.
C.
At a distance of 12 inches on the customer's side of the curbline
a serviceable curb cock or valve shall be placed in the service line
by the utility, and protected by an iron box of approved pattern brought
up to the sidewalk level. It shall be the duty of the customer to
provide the utility with reasonable notice of any sidewalk changes
affecting the curb box which he proposes to make; and he shall also
immediately notify the utility of sidewalk changes caused by circumstances
beyond his control.
D.
Each customer shall arrange his piping so that a suitable accessible
and protected location will be provided for a meter. On meters one
inch or larger, this location shall be preceded by a straight section
of pipe of the same diameter as the meter and of a length of at least
eight inches times the diameter of the meter. The customer shall install
a suitable brass round way or compression stop and waste cock, or
gate valve and drain between the utility's curb stop and the location
provided for the meter. No tees, unions or other fittings making possible
the drawing of water without registering on the meter shall be installed
ahead of the meter setting. On the customer's side of the meter setting,
the customer shall install the first branch, which shall be 1/4 the
diameter of the meter with a minimum diameter of 1/2 inch. This branch
shall consist of a tee with a capped nipple, and is to be used for
test purposes only. Where compound, fire service or proportional meters
are used, the test branch shall be 1/2 of the diameter of the meter.
Following this test branch and before any other branch lines or fixtures
are attached, the customer shall install a brass round way or compression
stop cock or gate valve, a backflow preventer, and, at a convenient
and suitable location on the customer's side of the backflow preventer,
a relief valve.
E.
All services shall be metered except fire hydrants installed by the
utility on streets or highways. All replacement meters shall be furnished
and installed by and at the expense of the utility, except compound
meters on services for fire protection only. The size of the meter
approved by the utility shall be in accordance with the estimated
water consumption, but in no case shall the size of the meter approved
by the utility be less than one commercial size below the size of
the service connection line.
No person other than one authorized by the utility shall be
permitted to commence water service for any premises, except where
water service has been discontinued by direction of the customer for
the purpose of making repairs to service pipes or fixtures.
On vacant premises, no allowance shall be made to discontinue
water service. In the event that water service has been temporarily
discontinued, a minimum charge of $19.80 per quarter shall be made.
This rate shall apply in case the meter is removed and the water service
is discontinued at the curb. This charge shall be collected in addition
to costs incurred to discontinue water service and to remove the meter.
A.
Before the utility shall provide a supply to any automatic sprinkler
or other system for fire protection, the applicant for such supply
shall file with the utility the following:
B.
The utility reserves the right to designate the size of the attachment
to be made.
C.
No application shall be granted for fire service for any customer
who is indebted to the Borough for water or fire service.
D.
A minimum application fee determined in accordance with the following
chart shall be remitted to the utility prior to scheduling a new fire
service connection. Said application fee shall be credited to the
total cost of providing engineering, legal, administrative, construction
and metering for the new fire service. The applicant shall be required
to pay the Borough all of the aforementioned costs prior to receiving
fire service.
|
Service Size
(inches)
|
Service Tap
|
Meter and Installation
|
Distribution Charge
|
Total
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4
|
$3,000
|
Actual cost
|
$3,000
|
To be determined
| |
|
6
|
$3,500
|
Actual cost
|
$4,200
|
To be determined
| |
|
8
|
$4,000
|
Actual cost
|
$5,400
|
To be determined
| |
|
10
|
$4,500
|
Actual cost
|
$6,000
|
To be determined
| |
|
12
|
$5,000
|
Actual cost
|
$7,200
|
To be determined
|
E.
The applicant shall purchase from the utility and install upon such
services, when used for fire protection purposes, a suitable water
meter, to be approved by the utility, and have the same set in accordance
with the rules and regulations adopted for the setting of meters.
F.
No extensions shall be made or additional fixtures installed without
the approval of the utility. All water used through fire services
shall be paid for at the established meter rates, except that used
for the extinguishment of fires. It shall be the duty of the customer
or his authorized agent to notify the utility immediately after the
use of water for fire purposes through any fire service line.
G.
When an applicant elects to have a fire service installed, a separate
service tap and service line shall be installed from the main to the
point of service. Combination service lines that split for domestic
and fire service shall not be permitted.
No temporary mains or private pipes other than the service lines set forth in § 441-11 of this article shall be installed. Existing temporary mains or private pipes which were installed by the customer shall be arranged so that a separate serviceable curb cock or stop cock in a convenient and accessible point and protected with an approved box shall control the water supply to each separate building or property supplied.
The utility has the right at any time to discontinue water service
or to decrease or increase the pressure, without notice, for the purpose
of extending, replacing, repairing or cleaning mains and appurtenances
or for any other purpose. The utility shall not be held liable for
any damage arising therefrom. No claim shall be made against the Borough
by reason of the breaking of any water main, service pipe, meter or
connection.
Excessive or unnecessary use or waste of water, whether caused
by carelessness or by defective or leaky plumbing or fixtures, is
prohibited. For noncompliance with a twenty-four-hour notice from
an inspector or other officer of the utility, left on the premises
or served on the customer or his authorized agent, to abate any waste
of water or to repair a leaky fixture or pipe, water shall be discontinued
until the waste has been stopped or the leak fixed.
A.
Each separate lot or property supplied with water must generally
have its own single separate service pipe connected in the most direct
line with the water main.
B.
If required, in case of large properties, two or more connections
may be allowed, subject to the approval of the utility.
C.
Two or more buildings located on the same lot may, subject to written
application of the owner and consent of the utility, be supplied through
the same connection, provided that the single ownership continues,
and provided further that a serviceable stop cock and approved curb
box be placed and maintained on the extra connection in addition to
the curb stop and curb box regularly required. Upon change from such
single ownership, a new and separate connection shall be made immediately
to the building or premises theretofore having the indirect connection;
provided, that in case there is no water main on any street on which
said premises abut, the utility may permit such connection to remain
until a water main is laid in such abutting street.
A.
Whenever a joint service pipe supplying separate properties springs
a leak of such a nature that will ordinarily require the replacement
of any portion of the pipe or any major portion of a fixture attached
thereto, the joint service shall be discontinued and new and separate
connections shall be made immediately to the properties theretofore
having the indirect connections. The customer having the direct connection
shall detach the indirect connections from his service pipe at his
own expense.
B.
Whenever a water main is laid or relaid along which there are properties
being supplied by means of private pipes or temporary mains, the owners
of such properties shall connect immediately at their own expense
to the new separate service pipes installed to the curbline by the
utility.
A.
On all properties supplied by a system of pipes and fixtures for
water service, where the service pipes and fixtures are not of the
standard or pattern required by the utility, or where standard fixtures
are leaking, the customers shall, at their own expense, whenever required
by order of the utility, make such changes and additions as shall
be required by the utility.
B.
No water service or pipe connection with the public mains or community
source of supply shall be cross-connected in any manner to or with
any pipe supply with water from a well, cistern, river or any source
other than the public supply. No plumbing fixture, fitting or construction
shall be approved for installation which is so constructed that a
cross-connection between water supply and waste or two separate water
supplies is possible.
C.
Whenever a complaint is received from a customer or his authorized
agent regarding low water pressure or low quantity of water delivered,
the utility shall investigate the complaint to determine the cause.
If, in the opinion of the utility, the low pressure or low flow is
caused by a defective or corroded service line, the customer shall
first replace, at his expense, the service line from the curb stop
to the cellar. If there is no improvement in the pressure or flow
after such replacement, the utility, in its judgment, may replace
the service line from the main to the curb stop.
[Amended 2-17-2009 by Ord. No. 978; 4-15-2014 by Ord. No. 1026]
A.
Water service shall not be commenced until all existing unpaid water
charges against the customer have been paid. The service call charges
for commencing and discontinuing water service shall be payable only
at the West Reading Borough Hall and shall be as follows:
B.
The fee for final water meter bill certification shall be established
by the Borough Council by resolution from time to time.
A.
Inspectors of the utility or any persons authorized by the utility
shall have free access at all reasonable hours to all parts of every
building for the purpose of inspecting meters, examining water fixtures
and observing the manner in which the water is used, and shall not
be interfered with in the discharge of their duties.
B.
Inspectors of the utility are hereby authorized to discontinue the
water service of any customer failing to comply with this provision.
A.
The supply of water through each separately metered service must
be recorded by one meter only, for which said meter must be approved
and/or supplied by the utility and for which one account shall be
rendered by the utility. If additional or auxiliary meters are desired
for recording the subdivisions of such supply, they must be furnished
and set by the customer at his expense and he must assume all responsibility
of reading and maintaining the same. All water meters shall record
consumption of water by use of cubic feet units.
B.
Bypass connections around meters shall be permitted for the convenience
of such customers that desire them, providing they pay for and install
a meter on said bypass at their own expense. The bypass meter shall
be controlled by a sealed gate valve on either side of said meter
and shall not be used except in emergency, at which time the utility
shall be notified.
In case two or more dwellings, flats, apartments, stores or offices or two or more families in one dwelling are supplied by one service line, for each and every dwelling, flat, apartment, store, office or family, there shall be the foregoing minimum charge as set forth in § 441-4 of this article as if each customer unit had a direct tap to the main. Likewise, the consumption charge for each customer shall be determined by dividing the total quantity of water consumed, as shown by the meter, by the number of customers and applying the rates set forth in § 441-4 of this article to the quantity so determined.
No customer, excepting with the written consent of the utility
previously obtained, shall be permitted to furnish water to other
persons or to suffer such other persons to take it themselves; provided,
however, that water may be supplied without such written consent in
order to temporarily relieve customers having frozen or broken pipes,
or whose supply may be cut off by similar emergencies.
The utility shall retain the right to restrict all nonessential
water use as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Resources, Title 4, Chapter 119, Nonessential Water Uses in the Delaware
River Basin. The utility shall advertise in a newspaper of general
circulation the initiation and termination of a restriction of nonessential
water uses in order to advise customers accordingly. Failure to comply
with said restriction of nonessential water uses after due notice
by the utility shall constitute a violation of this article.
A.
Meters shall not be exposed to danger from freezing or hot water.
The inspectors of the utility shall have complete control in determining
the location of meters before they are set. Where the front of the
building stands on the topographical building line, the meter shall
generally be placed just inside the front cellar wall. Where the front
of the building sets back of the topographical building line, the
meter shall be placed in a pit furnished by the customer and located
between the curbline and just inside the topographical building line.
B.
Meter pits.
(1)
Meter pits shall be constructed in accordance with utility standards.
They shall be of concrete and covered with a steel, iron or reinforced
concrete cover of sufficient strength to withstand the traffic over
the same. A hinged steel door shall be placed in the pit cover for
easy access for the removal and the reading of the meter. All meter
pits shall be drained to keep them free from water, and the customer
shall keep all foreign material out of the pit. The covers and doors
of meter pits shall be of sufficient strength as determined by the
utility standards.
(2)
The same amount of room provided for in meter pits shall be provided
for in other meter locations by the customer, except that the minimum
distance on one side only between the center line of meters and the
sides of walls or other structures shall be:
|
4 inches for 5/8 inch meters
| |
|
4 1/2 inches for 3/4 inch meters
| |
|
5 inches for 1 inch meters
| |
|
5 3/4 inches for 1 1/4 inch meters
| |
|
6 1/2 inches for 1 1/2 inch meters
| |
|
7 1/2 inches for 2 inch meters
| |
|
9 inches for 3 inch meters
| |
|
12 1/2 inches for 4 inch meters
| |
|
16 1/4 inches for 6 inch meters
| |
|
20 inches for 8 inch meters
|
C.
This encroachment of space between the meter and wall or other structure
shall be provided for or made up on the other side of the meter.
D.
Meter boxes for 5/8 inch or 3/4 inch meters may be used when approved
by the utility. They shall consist of concrete ductile iron or vitrified
clay pipe with a suitable frostproof metal top and cover.
E.
All meters shall be sealed by the utility, and no one, except a person
authorized by the utility, shall break or injure such seals. No persons
other than those authorized by the utility shall remove or change
the location of, alter or interfere in any way with any meter.
F.
All meter installations and meter pits shall conform to the utility specification sheets, as set forth in the Standard Details, included as an attachment to this chapter.
If meters owned by the utility are damaged or lost by reason
of negligence of the customer, members of his household or tenants
of his property, the customer shall pay for such damage or loss. The
cost of maintenance and repairs to all but auxiliary meters shall
be borne by the utility.
A.
At the request of a customer, the utility shall test the meter supplying
the subject premises. The testing of the meters shall be in accordance
with the Water Regulations of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
and American Waterworks Standard.
B.
If the meter so tested shall be found to be accurate within the aforementioned
water meter standards, all costs relating to testing the meter, including
but not limited to costs of new meter replacements, costs of labor
of Borough employees, costs of testing by independent laboratories
and costs of shipping, shall be paid to the utility by the customer
requiring such test; but if the meter tested shall not be found to
be accurate within the aforementioned water meter standards, then
the cost thereof shall be borne by the utility furnishing the service.
If a meter shall be found to be in error by more than 4%, an allowance
or charge shall be made to the customer by the utility equal to the
excess of the deficiency and quantity charge to the customer computed
back from the date of the test through the entire period of the current
bill unless it can be shown that the error is due to an accident or
other cause, the exact date of which can be determined, in which case
it shall be computed back to such date.
C.
The result of the test shall be reported to the owner or customer
in every case.
In case of breakage, stoppage or any other irregularity in the meter, the customer shall notify the utility immediately, and any necessary repairs shall be made by the utility as provided in § 441-28 of this article.
All water passing through a meter shall be charged for at the
regular rate, and no allowance shall be made for excessive consumption
due to leaks or waste.
[Amended 2-16-2021 by Ord. No. 1135]
The utility shall provide an estimated bill to any customer
who fails to furnish a meter reading at the time of billing. The utility
shall credit the estimated payment to an actual water consumption
bill at such time as the same is available. In the event a water meter
fails to register the amount of water used, the customer will be charged
at the average rate of monthly or quarterly consumption for the previous
12 months as shown by the meter when in order.
A.
No person shall, without a permit from the utility, use or interfere
with any fire hydrant.
B.
The utility may permit water to be used temporarily from any fire
hydrant, for other than domestic purposes, in localities where no
other supply can be obtained. The attachment for such use shall consist
of a reducer on one of the hydrant nozzles and an independent valve
to control the supply. This permission shall not be granted unless
a written application is first made upon the regular form of the utility.
C.
All water used through a fire hydrant, except that used at fires,
shall be controlled by the use of the independent valve attached to
the reducer on the nozzle of the fire hydrant. The hydrant valve shall
be operated only by authorized employees of the utility, and while
water is being used the fire hydrant valve shall be opened full. No
fire hydrant shall be used for other than fire purposes during freezing
weather.
D.
All fire hydrants shall be operated only by means of a solid or monkey
wrench. The use of pipe wrenches of all descriptions is prohibited.
No person except an authorized employee of the utility shall
open, close or in any way interfere with any valve in any water main
or service connection to any customer.
The owner of the property served shall be responsible to the
Borough for payment for all water furnished to the property irrespective
of any agreement between the property owner and a third party. The
bill shall in all cases be rendered to the owner of the property who
shall remain liable for the payment of all water bills. There shall
be no third-party billing.
Upon notice in writing, left upon any premises supplied with
water, it shall be the duty of the customer to immediately install
pipes and appurtenances and otherwise comply with any and all of the
provisions set forth in this article within 10 days from the date
of the notice where no time limit is specifically stated in this article.
[Amended 4-15-2014 by Ord. No. 1026]
Violation of the provisions of this article or failure to pay either usage, service or minimum charges within 10 days after the bill becomes due shall be cause for termination of water service until payment is made of all outstanding charges for water service; provided, in no case shall the water supply be shut off until 10 days after written notice of an intention so to do has been mailed to the person liable for payment and a written notice has been mailed to the resident at a main entrance to the premises where the water supply is to be shut off. Upon mailing of such written notice, an additional penalty of 10% will be charged on all water bills, which penalty shall be in addition to the penalty imposed pursuant to § 441-6B hereof. If during such ten-day period, the person liable for payment delivers to the Borough of West Reading a written statement which states under oath or affirmation that such statement is not executed for purpose of delay and that he has a just defense to the claim for payment or to part of such claim, the water supply shall not be shut off until such claim has been judicially determined. If service is terminated under the conditions set forth herein, a reconnection charge established, pursuant to a resolution of Borough Council, shall be paid before service is restored.
[Amended 3-20-2018 by Ord. No. 1080]
Any person who violates or permits a violation of this article
shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding under the Pennsylvania
Rules of Criminal Procedure, be guilty of a summary offense and shall
be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus court costs
and reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by the Borough in the enforcement
proceedings. Upon judgment against any person by summary conviction,
or by proceedings by summons on default of the payment of the fine
or penalty imposed and the costs, the defendant may be sentenced and
committed to the County correctional facility for a period not exceeding
10 days or to the county correctional facility for a period not exceeding
30 days. Each day that such violation exists shall constitute a separate
offense, and each section of this article that is violated shall also
constitute a separate offense. In addition to or in lieu of enforcement
under this section, the Borough may enforce this article in equity
in the Court of Common Pleas of Berks County.
The water rates and charges for water service by the Borough
of West Reading may be changed or modified by resolution or ordinance
as Borough Council may deem necessary and proper.
