City of Seward, NE Administration

The municipality owns and operates the municipal electrical system through the Light Commissioner. The governing body, for the purpose of defraying the cost of the care, management, and maintenance of the municipal electrical system, may each year levy a tax not exceeding the maximum limit prescribed by state law, on the actual valuation of all real estate and personal property within the corporate limits that is subject to taxation. The revenue from the said tax shall be known as the Electrical Fund and shall remain in the custody of the Municipal Treasurer. The Light Commissioner shall have the direct management and control of the municipal electrical system and shall faithfully carry out the duties of his office. He shall have the authority to adopt rules and regulations for the safe and efficient management of the electrical system, subject to the supervision and review of the governing body. The governing body shall by ordinance set the rates to be charged for services rendered and shall file the same in the office of the Municipal Clerk for public inspection at any reasonable time. (Neb. RS 16-675, 16-679, 16-682, 19-1404)

[Amended 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 5-83; 4-19-1988 by Ord. No. 5-88; 8-3-1999 by Ord. No. 28-99]

Every person or persons desiring electrical service must make application therefor at the Utility Office located in City Hall. The application must state truly and fully all uses to which said electric current is to be applied and no additional use will be allowed.

For new consumers, blanks will be furnished for that purpose by the Utility Office. All landlords shall make an application with the City to receive electric service for their rental properties. This application shall be signed one time only and shall place the responsibility for payment of all usage on the landlord when any of his rental properties are not rented. It shall be the duty of the landlord to notify the Utility Office of any changes of electric usage by tenants on his properties. If the landlord wishes to assume the responsibility for payment of electric service on any of his rented or leased properties when they are rented, he must so notify the Utility Office in writing upon blanks furnished for that purpose. Upon receiving such notification, all bills will be mailed directly to the landlord and he will be held responsible for their payment. Otherwise, all requirements for service deposits must be met.

Applications for electrical service are not transferable. Any person wishing to change from one location to another shall make a new application. If any consumer shall sell, dispose, or remove from the premises where service is furnished in his name, or if the premises is destroyed by fire or other casualty, he shall at once inform the Utility Office, which shall cause the electrical service to be shut off from the premises. If the consumer should fail to give such notice, he shall be charged for all electricity used on the premises until the Utility Office is otherwise advised of such circumstances.

The municipality, through its Electric Department, shall furnish electric current for light and power purposes to persons whose premises abut on any supply wire of the distribution system. The rules, regulations, and rates for electric service, hereinafter named in this chapter, shall be considered a part of every contract between every consumer now served by the Electric Department. Without further formality, the making of an application on the part of any applicant or the use or consumption of electric energy by present consumers and the furnishing of electric service to said applicant or consumer shall constitute a contract between applicant and the municipality, to which both parties are bound. If a consumer should violate any of the provisions of said contract or any reasonable rules and regulations that the Council may hereafter adopt, the Utility Office shall cause the service to be disconnected from the building or place of such violation and no further connection of electric service for such building or place shall again be made except by order of the Utility Office.

Electric service will be discontinued upon the request of the consumer at no cost. If the same consumer at some future time requests restoration of the same electric service, a charge as set from time to time by the City Council, payable in advance, will apply.[1]

[1]

Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I). Original §§ 3-303, Consumer's Application, and 3-304, Electrical Service Contracts, of the 1976 Code, which immediately followed this section, were repealed 2-15-1983 by Ord. No. 5-83.