User fees shall be assessed to each property within the service
area for the purposes of retiring debt. User fees and formulas for
determining user fees shall be established in accordance with New
York State Town Law and may be modified from time to time by resolution
of the Town Board. User fees will be included on the tax bills for
each property within the service area, and payment for the same shall
be made at the same time and at the same place as specified for other
Town charges.
All persons utilizing water from the public water system shall
pay a water service charge based on the quantity of water so utilized,
which charge shall be collected as a water rent. Water rents shall
be fixed from time to time by resolution of the Town Board. Nothing
herein contained shall prevent the Town Board of the Town of Verona
from establishing separate schedules of rates for separate water districts.
Water bills shall be rendered quarterly for residential customers;
monthly for commercial, industrial, agricultural customers; and other
customers with usage significantly greater than that of a typical
single-family home, at the discretion of the Superintendent. Bills
shall be payable at such times and places as may be designated by
the Town Board. The Town Board may provide appropriate penalties for
nonpayment of bills, including a shutoff of the water supply.[1]
A.
If there shall be any payments which are due to the Town of Verona,
or any department or district thereof, pursuant to any article or
section of this chapter, which shall remain due and unpaid, in whole
or in part, for a period of 20 calendar days from the date of billing
by the Town of Verona, the same shall constitute a default, and there
shall be added to the entire amount of the original bill a penalty
equal to 20% of the original bill, and interest shall accrue on the
unpaid balance, at the rate of 2% per month, retroactive to the date
of the original billing.
B.
In the event that there are any water bills, taxes, assessments,
fees, rents or other service charges which shall have been delinquent
for a period of at least 60 calendar days as of October 1 of any year,
the Collection Clerk shall report the names of the defaulting persons
to the Town of Verona Town Board, the Town of Verona Clerk, the Town
of Verona Tax Assessor and the Town of Verona Supervisor on or before
October 1 of the same year. The Town of Verona Tax Assessor is hereby
directed to add the entire amount of the water tax, assessment or
other service charge which shall be in default, plus penalty and interest,
as provided for in this chapter, to the real property taxes due and
owing to Town of Verona in the next succeeding year, and the Town
of Verona Tax Assessor is directed to collect the same in the same
manner as real property taxes due and owing to the Town of Verona
are collected.
C.
Where charges are delinquent and the violator is not a resident of
the Town of Verona or is located outside the geographical boundaries
of the Town of Verona or in such instance where no real property taxes
are due and owing to the Town of Verona, then the Town of Verona Attorney
is authorized to seek recovery of charges, including punitive damages,
in a court of competent jurisdiction or make arrangements with the
appropriate county where the customer is located to add the amount
of the water assessment and/or other charges which shall be in default,
plus penalty and interest, as provided for in the law, to the real
property taxes due to the county in the next ensuing year.
Water bills shall be computed in accordance with water meter
readings. No deduction will be made for leakage. If the meter fails
to accurately record the quantity used, it shall be determined and
the charge made based upon the quantity used in the preceding billing
period, or the corresponding period of the preceding year, or upon
a corrected water bill as shown by a meter test, as the Superintendent
may, at his discretion, determine.
