Applications for water service shall be filed with the City
Clerk upon a form to be supplied by the Clerk. Such application shall
state the name of the applicant and the premises to be served.
[Amended 4-15-2008 by Ord. No. 176]
Each property owner shall be responsible for municipal water
service fees for each of their properties. The City shall not transfer
responsibility for any municipal water service fees to a tenant.
All revenues and monies derived from the operation of the water
system shall be paid to and held by the City Treasurer separate and
apart from all other funds of the City and all of such sums and all
other funds and monies incident to the operation of such system, as
may be delivered to the Treasurer, shall be deposited in a separate
fund designated the "water system fund account," and the Treasurer
shall administer such fund in every respect in a manner provided by
the laws of the state and all other laws pertaining thereto.
The City Treasurer shall establish a proper system of accounts
and shall keep proper records, books, and accounts in which complete
and correct entries shall be made of all transactions relative to
the City water system and at regular annual intervals the City Council
shall cause to be made an audit by an independent auditing concern
of the books to show the receipts and disbursements of the City water
system.
Every person, firm or corporation, whether private, public or
municipal, who or which are serviced by the City department or connected
to the water mains of the City shall pay for such service. The rates
and fees shall be set from time to time by resolution of the City
Council as they deem necessary and proper.
There is hereby established a tap-in and connection charge for
each user requesting a connection to the City water mains. The amount
of the tap-in and connection charges shall be set by resolution of
the City Council.
The owner of each building or parcel of real estate which is
connected to the water mains of the City with a service connection
ready to be used shall pay to the City a ready-to-serve charge for
each such service connection to such water mains, whether or not water
is turned on in such connection. The amount of the ready-to-serve
charge shall be set by resolution of the City Council. This section
shall not apply in the case of demolished buildings where the service
connection is not ready to be used.
Water shall be metered on each service connection as soon as
the water connection is installed and turned on.
The City shall pay out of the appropriate general funds of the
City a reasonable cost for the value of the water furnished to the
City on the basis of the schedule of rates adopted by the City Council.
The City shall pay out of its general fund to the Water Department
of the City a sum per month per hydrant for each fire hydrant within
the City serviced by the Water Department. Said sum shall be set by
resolution of the City Council, and may be discontinued for any time
period at the Council's discretion.
[Amended 4-15-2008 by Ord. No. 176]
Bills for water service provided for by this chapter shall be
sent to each person charged therefor at a regular date set from time
to time by resolution of the City Council, except as provided in Section 19-9.
All such bills shall become due and payable at a regular date set
from time to time by resolution of the City Council. Ten percent of
each bill shall be added thereto on each water service bill or ready-to-serve
charge which is not paid before a date set from time to time by resolution
of the City Council.
[Amended 4-15-2008 by Ord. No. 176]
It is hereby made the duty of the City Manager to direct the
City Clerk and/or City Treasurer to render bills for municipal water
service and all other charges in connection therewith and to collect
all monies due therefrom. The City Manager shall be responsible for
directing the City Clerk and/or City Treasurer to notify between the
15th day of April, 2008, and the 15th day of June, 2008, the owners
of property which have a tenant responsible for a municipal water
service and/or sewer service that when said tenant discontinues use
of said services, or no later than the 15th day of April, 2009, they
shall be transferred to the property owner who shall be responsible
from that point forward.
[Amended 4-15-2008 by Ord. No. 176]
A. The payment of charges for water service or ready-to-serve charges
may be enforced by shutting off the use's supply or by an action of
assumption instituted in the name of the City against such user or
person connected to the City water mains.
B. All delinquent sums due the City for water service charges or ready-to-serve
charges shall become a lien against the property served by the City
water system and the City Council shall have power to order such delinquent
charges to be spread on the City tax roll as a charge against the
several properties so delinquent, to be collected as part of the next
City tax thereon.
C. The remedies provided in this section for enforcing the payment of
water charges are hereby declared to be cumulative, and not alternative,
and the use of one remedy shall not constitute a bar to the use of
any other remedy.
D. Whenever it becomes necessary to shut off the water service for any
reason, a charge will be made to such delinquent user for shutting
off and for turning on such water supply.
[Amended 5-20-2014 by Ord. No. 212]
Whenever the City municipal water system supplies water to a
user beyond the corporate limits of the City, such user shall pay
for such water 1 1/2 times the prevailing water rates or an amount
set by a Council approved contract.
All of the rates and charges for water service fixed by this
chapter shall be revised by resolution from time to time as may be
necessary by the City Council to produce the required amount of revenue
to maintain and repair the water system of the City and discharge
the bonded indebtedness of such system.
[Amended 5-31-2012 by Ord. No. 195; 9-18-2018 by Ord. No. 232]
No person, except authorized employees of the Water Department,
Fire Department, or Department of Public Works, and then only in the
legitimate discharge of their duties, shall open or close any main
valve or fire hydrant, or remove the cover for any valve or hydrant,
nor shall any person interfere with or damage in any manner any building,
machine, pipe, or fixture of the Water Department. The use of fire
hydrants as a source of water supply, except by employees as above
mentioned, is strictly prohibited, unless written permission is obtained
from the Water Department, and this applies to all hydrants, municipally
or privately owned, within or outside of the corporate limits of the
City, supplied with water through the City mains.
[Amended 4-16-2003 by Ord. No. 143; 5-31-2012 by Ord. No. 195; 9-18-2018 by Ord. No. 232]
A. The City Manager, or in his absence the Water Department Superintendent
or the Department of Public Works Director; hereafter collectively
referred to as "City Manager," is authorized to impose temporary restrictions
upon the use of water from the City water system, in the manner provided
in this section.
B. Temporary restrictions may be implemented when one or more of the
following conditions exist, and when the restrictions are necessary
to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, or to protect
the water system from damage or failure:
1. The user demand for water may exceed the sustained delivery capability
of the system.
2. The system is operating at such high volume, or such low main pressures,
that insufficient capacity or reserve remains to safely respond to
an increase in demand created by a fire, water main failure, system
malfunction, or other emergency.
3. Any other condition or situation, extant or reasonably anticipated,
that may expose or threaten the system, its operating flows, residual
pressures, or integrity to the point that the system is jeopardized
or the public safety endangered.
C. Any temporary restrictions so implemented shall remain in effect
until rescinded by the City Manager or until the next meeting of the
City Council. The City Council may continue, amend, modify or suspend
such restrictions by resolution at that time.
D. Temporary restrictions shall take effect when posted at City Hall.
The City Manager shall give prompt notice to local newspapers and
radio stations of the temporary restrictions and the reasons for their
implementation and shall take any other measures as he or she deems
reasonable to notify the public. Notice of the termination of those
temporary restrictions shall be given in the same manner.
E. The City may discontinue water service to any premises without prior
notice in the event that such usage is in violation of any temporary
restrictions.