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.