A.
The following expenses shall be borne by the Department:
B.
The following expenses shall be borne by the owner or customer:
(2)
The cost of all materials and labor for laying and maintaining the
service pipe upon and within the premises from the curb box serving
said property.
(3)
Water use charges and special assessments for the Water District.
(5)
Fees for turning water service on or off at the curb box as per the
fee schedule on file in the Town Clerk's office or listed on
the Town website.
(6)
The cost of the meter, repair and testing of meters, except for mechanical defects or natural wear and tear, as set forth in Article IV of this chapter.
(7)
All other fees and charges as established from time to time by resolution
of the Town Board.
A.
All water usage will be charged to the owners of the affected real
property. Statements may be sent to a tenant upon written request
to the Department by the owner. The sending of statements to the tenant
shall not relieve the owner from responsibility for payment of the
same.
B.
Water usage, fees and other charges shall be at the rates set forth
in the most recent Town of Bethlehem water fee and rate schedule,
as established from time to time by resolution of the Town Board.
C.
The reading of a duly installed meter, showing the amount of water
consumed, shall be used for all billing purposes. If the quarterly
meter reading is below the minimum water consumption amount, the minimum
consumption amount shall be used as the basis for the quarterly billing.
D.
In any case in which it is established that a meter has ceased to
register or has registered inaccurately and the percentage of inaccuracy
cannot be determined by reasonable test, an estimated bill for the
billing period shall be rendered to the customer. An estimated bill
shall be based upon the amount of water consumed in the corresponding
period in prior years, except in any instance in which it appears
there has been a change in occupancy of the premises or in the use
of water, in which case an equitable adjustment may be made.
E.
All metered water usage shall be billed quarterly.
F.
All payments shall be received in the office of the Town Receiver
of Taxes by the due date indicated on the billing. Thereafter, there
shall be added to the billed amount a penalty in the amount of 10%
of the amount on the original billed amount.
G.
Water rental charges, fees and other charges shall be a lien upon
the real property upon which, or in connection with which, the water
was used, and shall be added to the taxes assessed against the premises.
H.
There shall be filed annually with the Town Board of the Town of
Bethlehem a statement showing the unpaid water charges and penalties
payable to the Department, with a brief description of the property
in connection with which the water was used, the names of the persons,
corporation, or other entities liable to pay for the same, and the
amount chargeable to each for the purpose of having such sums levied
as tax against the property so liable. Delinquent bills for water
service as of June 30 of each year and remaining unpaid as of September
30 of said year shall be entered on the annual Town tax rolls and
collected with the next ensuing property tax except as otherwise provided
by law.
The Department may administratively adjust the amount of water
and/or sewer consumed for a billing period where a leak or situational
high usage was experienced, or if a meter was read incorrectly. Underground
leaks (e.g., service lines over 200 feet in length that have a meter
pit or leaks in buried irrigation systems downstream of the water
meter) may also qualify for a reduction to the sewer portion of the
bill but must be repaired by a licensed plumber with proof of repair.
A.
Conditions for qualifying for adjustment.
(1)
The owner or an authorized person designated by the owner must request
the adjustment within 30 calendar days of the bill being issued.
(2)
Water loss caused by a third party from whom the customer is able
to recover their costs are not eligible for an adjustment and are
therefore the responsibility of the customer. Examples of this include
theft, vandalism, negligence and construction damage, and unoccupied
or vacant properties.
(3)
Customers may only be granted an adjustment at a property once every
three years. By requesting an adjustment, the customer is waiving
their rights to any future adjustments within three years of the initial
request regardless of the subsequent amount.
(4)
The date, type of repair, and proof of repair must be provided, in
writing, to the Department in order to be considered for adjustment.
A signed letter from the repair company/technician that documents
the repairs completed shall constitute the proof of repair.
(5)
The applying property owner must have an up to date account with
no current delinquencies.
(6)
While an adjustment request is being processed, the customer is responsible
for payment of the entire amount due on their bill within the normal
payment period; or the customer may request to enter into an agreed-upon
payment arrangement.
B.
Calculation of adjustment.
(1)
Interior/situational usage adjustment. This type of adjustment is
limited to charges for water consumption only and no other charges
will be adjusted. The adjustment is calculated from the average (mean)
consumption of water from the customer's total bills over the
previous four billing cycles (one year's worth of bills). Fifty
percent of the additional water usage over the average water consumption
is deducted from the amount owed.
(2)
Underground leak adjustment. This type of adjustment is for water
and sewer consumption only. Fifty percent of the additional water
usage over the average water consumption and 100% of excess sewer
usage is deducted from the amount owed. Evidence of an underground
leak repair must be provided from a licensed plumber to qualify for
an underground leak adjustment.
C.
Adjustments to correct inaccurate meter readings. Adjustments to
water bills to correct inaccurate readings shall be made in accordance
with the following:
(1)
Adjustments to water bills may be applied by the Department to correct
inaccurate readings of meters or incorrect readings caused by faulty
meters. During the reading cycle, the Department will automatically
check anomalous readings to ensure accuracy.
(2)
If the customer wishes to contest the accuracy of the meter reading
and subsequent water bill, the customer may request that the meter
be checked or tested to verify the accuracy of the reading or the
meter. If, after checking and testing the meter, the reading is found
to be correct, the account will be charged the meter test fee. The
test fee is as set forth in the most recent Town of Bethlehem water
fee and rate schedule. If the meter or reading is found to be faulty
or incorrect, the water bill will be adjusted accordingly and the
meter test fee will be waived.
