The utility may require a cash deposit or other guarantee as a condition of new residential service if, and only if, the customer has an outstanding account balance with the utility which accrued within the last six years, and which, at the time of the request for new service, remains outstanding and not in dispute.
The utility may require a cash deposit or other guarantee as a condition of continued service if, and only if, either or both the following circumstances apply:
A. 
Service has been shut off or discontinued within the last 12 months for violation of these rules and regulations or for nonpayment of a delinquent bill for service which is not in dispute.
B. 
Credit information obtained by the utility subsequent to the initial application indicates that the initial application for service was falsified or incomplete to the extent that a deposit would be required under these rules and regulations.
If the credit for an applicant for commercial or industrial service has not been established to the satisfaction of the utility, they shall be required to make a deposit or otherwise guarantee to the utility payment of bills for service.
The provisions of § PSC 185.36(4), Wis. Adm. Code, are incorporated and adopted herein by reference as conditions of deposit.
The utility shall review the payment record of each residential customer with a deposit on file at not less than twelve-month intervals and shall not require or continue to require a deposit unless a deposit could be required under the conditions stated above. In the case of a commercial or industrial customer, the utility shall refund the deposit after 24 consecutive months of prompt payment if the customer's credit standing is satisfactory to the utility. Payment shall be considered prompt if it is made prior to notice of disconnection for nonpayment of a bill not in dispute. Any deposit or portion thereof refunded to a customer shall be refunded by check unless both the customer and the utility agree to credit the regular bill or unless service is terminated, in which case the deposit with accrued interest at the current legal rate shall be applied to the final bill and any balance returned to the customer promptly.
A new or additional deposit may be required upon reasonable written notice of the need therefor if such new or additional deposit could have been required under the circumstances when the initial deposit was made. Service may be refused or disconnected for failure to pay a deposit request as provided in the rules. When service has been disconnected for failure to make a deposit, or for failure to pay a delinquent bill, or for failure to comply with the terms of a deferred payment agreement, and satisfactory arrangements have been made to have service restored, a reconnection charge shall be paid by the customer as a condition to restoration of service.
A. 
The utility may accept, in lieu of a cash deposit, a contract signed by a guarantor satisfactory to the company, whereby payment of a specified sum not exceeding the cash deposit requirement is guaranteed. The term of a guarantee contract shall be two years, but shall automatically terminate after the customer has closed their account, or at the guarantor's request upon 30 days' written notice to the utility.
B. 
Upon termination of a guarantee contract or whenever the utility deems same insufficient as to amount or surety, a cash deposit or a new or additional guarantee may be required upon reasonable written notice to the customer. Service to any customer who fails to comply with these requirements may be refused or, upon eight days' written notice, disconnected. The utility shall mail the guarantor copies of all disconnect notices sent to the customer whose account they have guaranteed unless the guarantor waives such notice, in writing.
C. 
In lieu of a cash deposit or guarantee, an applicant for new service who has an outstanding account accrued within the last six years with the utility shall have the right to receive service from the utility under a deferred payment agreement as provided in this section for the outstanding account balance.
The water service charge to each unit of service shall consist of a minimum quarterly charge and a volume charge.
A. 
The minimum quarterly charges shall be in accordance with the Village Fee Schedule.
B. 
The volume charge to be added to the minimum quarterly charge shall be in accordance with the Village Fee Schedule.
Metered service rates set forth above shall apply to all water service supplied during the building and construction period. Where service is furnished prior to meter installation, the minimum quarterly charge will be applied at that time until permanent service is established.
Where the water meter cannot be installed immediately, service may be supplied temporarily on an unmetered basis. Such service shall be billed in accordance with the Village Fee Schedule.
A. 
Where the utility is unable to read a meter, the fact will be plainly indicated on the bill, and the minimum charge applied. The difference shall be adjusted when the meter is again read, that is, the bill for the succeeding quarter will be computed with the gallons or cubic feet in each block of the rate schedule doubled and credit will be given on that bill for the amount of the minimum bill paid the preceding month.
B. 
Only in unusual cases or where approval is obtained from the customer shall more than two consecutive estimated bills be rendered. If the meter is damaged or fails to operate, the bill will be based on the average use during a similar time the past year unless there is some reason why the use is not normal. Such average use shall be the average of the most comparable recent quarter. If the customer has been a customer for less than one year, then such average use shall be the average of the available consumption history.
Water losses that occur on the premises, which are registered by the water meter, shall fully be the responsibility of the customer. It is the sole responsibility of the customer to prevent leakage in all piping and fixtures on the premises at and beyond the metering point. The utility shall inform each customer at least once each year that it is the sole responsibility of the customer to prevent leakage in all piping and fixtures on the premises at and beyond the metering point, and that any leaks or other losses of water registered by the meter will be billed at the filed rates.
Under § 196.03(3)(b), Wis. Stats., the Village has chosen to have the utility bill the retail general service customers for public fire protection service. This service shall include the use of hydrants for fire protection service only and such quantities of water as may be demanded for the purpose of extinguishing fires within the service area. This service shall also include water used for testing equipment and training personnel. For all other purposes, the metered or other rates set forth, or as may be filed with the Public Service Commission, shall apply.
A. 
Private fire protection service shall consist of unmetered connections to the main for automatic sprinkler system, stand pipes (where same are connected permanently or continuously to the mains), and private hydrants. Quarterly demand charges for private fire protection service shall be in accordance with the rate schedule in the Village Fee Schedule.
B. 
Billing procedures for private fire protection service shall be the same as for general service.
C. 
Where a four-inch or larger connection is made to the main for private fire protection service, such service line may be tapped with a smaller size branch line for general service. This small branch line shall be metered and the water use billed at the regular metered rate. The charge for private fire protection service will be that applicable to the size of connection to the main in accordance with the Village Fee Schedule. Where "X" equals the unmetered private fire protection quarterly charge applicable to the size of connection, and "Y" is the quarterly minimum charge for general service, the quarterly charge for private fire protection service shall be (X-.30Y).
A. 
Water service supplied to governmental, public buildings, schools, etc., shall be metered and the regular service rates applied.
B. 
Water used for other public purposes such as flushing sewers, street sweeping, flooding skating rinks, drinking fountains, filling swimming pools, etc., shall be metered where meters can be set to measure the service. Where it is impossible to measure the service, the gallons of water used shall be estimated based on the pressure, size of opening, and period of time water is allowed to flow. The estimated quantity shall be billed in accordance with the rate schedule the Village Fee Schedule.
Water bills are issued quarterly in January, April, July, and October by the first day of the month and are due and payable on the 20th day of that month.
When a customer's premises has several buildings each supplied with service and metered separately, the full service charge will be billed for each meter separately, and the readings will not be cumulated. If these buildings are all used in the same business and are properly connected by the customer, they may be metered in one place. In this case if the utility, for its own convenience, decides to install more than one meter, the readings will be cumulated for billing.
Reading of utility meters take place quarterly in February, May, August, and November. Meter reading is performed by water utility crews or contractual.
Service may be disconnected or refused for any of the following reasons:
A. 
Failure to pay a delinquent account or failure to comply with the terms of a deferred payment agreement.
B. 
Violation of the utility's rules and regulations pertaining to the use of service in a manner which interferes with the service of others or to the operation of nonstandard equipment, if the customer has first been notified and provided with reasonable opportunity to remedy the situation.
C. 
Failure to comply with deposit or guarantee.
D. 
Diversion of service around the meter.
E. 
A dangerous, unsafe or hazardous condition exists.
A. 
A bill for service is delinquent if unpaid after the due date shown on the bill. The utility may disconnect service for a delinquent bill by giving the customer a written disconnect notice at least eight calendar days prior to disconnection, which may be included with the bill for service. For purposes of this rule, the due date shall not be less than 21 days after issuance. A charge will be collected in advance before service is reconnected for a customer who has been disconnected for nonpayment in accordance with the Village Fee Schedule.
B. 
The utility may disconnect without notice where a dangerous, unsafe or hazardous condition exists for as long as the condition exists. Service may be denied to any customer for failure to comply with the applicable requirements of the rules and regulations of the Public Service Commission or of these rules and regulations, or if a dangerous, unsafe or hazardous condition exists on the customer's premises.
C. 
If the customer or responsible person has made a written request for this disconnection, the utility shall apprise customers of this right upon application for service. If service to a residential customer which has been disconnected has not been restored within 24 hours after disconnection, the utility shall notify the Village Police Department along with the Local Health Department of the billing name and service address and that a threat to health and life might exist to persons occupying the premises.
A. 
Whenever the customer advises the utility prior to the disconnection of service that all or part of any billing as rendered is in dispute, the utility shall investigate the dispute promptly and completely, advise the customer of the results of the investigation, attempt to resolve the dispute, and provide the opportunity for the customer to enter into a deferred payment agreement when applicable in order to settle the dispute.
B. 
After the customer has pursued the available remedies with the utility, they may request that the Public Service Commission's staff informally review the disputed issue and recommend terms of settlement.
C. 
Any party to the dispute after informal review may also make a written request for a formal review by the Village Public Works Committee. If the Public Works Committee decides to conduct a formal meeting on the dispute, the customer shall pay 100% of the bill in dispute or post a bond for that amount on or before the meeting date. Failure to pay the amount or post the bond will constitute a waiver of the right to a meeting.
D. 
Service shall not be disconnected because of any disputed matter while the disputed matter is being pursued under the dispute procedure. In no way does this relieve the customer from the obligation of paying charges which are not disputed.
The form of disconnection notice shall be in accordance with the rules of the Public Service Commission.
No reconnection charge will be applied to the customer if disconnection occurred solely because of general operation and was in no way a result of circumstances specific to the customer or property involved.
A. 
The utility shall offer deferred payment agreements to residential customers. The deferred payment agreement shall provide that service will not be discontinued for the outstanding bill if the customer pays a stated reasonable amount of the outstanding bill and agrees to pay a stated reasonable portion of the remaining outstanding balance in installments until the bill is paid. In determining what amounts are "reasonable," the utility shall consider the:
(1) 
Size of the delinquent account.
(2) 
Customer's ability to pay.
(3) 
Customer's payment history.
(4) 
Time that the debt has been outstanding.
(5) 
Reasons why the debt has been outstanding.
(6) 
Any other relevant factors concerning the circumstances of the customer.
B. 
In the deferred payment agreement, it shall state immediately preceding the space provided for the customer's signature and in boldface print at least two sizes larger than any other used thereon, the following:
IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT SIGN. IF YOU DO SIGN THIS AGREEMENT, YOU GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO DISPUTE THE AMOUNT DUE UNDER THE AGREEMENT EXCEPT FOR THE UTILITY'S FAILURE OR REFUSAL TO FOLLOW THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.
C. 
A delinquent amount, including late payment charges covered by a deferred payment agreement, shall not be subject to an additional late payment charge if the customer meets the payment schedule, including the current bill required by the agreement. A deferred payment agreement shall not include a finance charge.
D. 
If an applicant for service has not fulfilled the terms of a deferred payment agreement, the utility shall have the right to disconnect service or refuse service in accordance with these rules. Under such circumstances, it shall not be required to offer subsequent negotiations of a deferred payment agreement prior to disconnection.
E. 
Any payments made by the customer in compliance with a deferred payment agreement, or otherwise, shall be first considered made in payment of the previous account balance with any remainder credited to the current bill.
A late payment charge of 1% per month compounded monthly will be added to bills not paid within 21 days after issuance or by due date, whichever is later. All unpaid bills for water service which are due and outstanding as unpaid bills for water service which are due and outstanding as of October 15 shall be collected by the Village Finance Director in the manner provided by § 66.0809, Wis. Stats. The additional penalty provided by § 66.0809, Wis. Stats., shall apply to any delinquent amount due.