The fees as provided for in appendix A of this code shall be paid for any taps made by, or contracted under, direction of the city.
(1988 Code, ch. 11, sec. 1.00; 2010 Code, sec. 46-21)
No free water or sewer service shall be rendered by the city in the operation of its water and sewer systems. All customers shall be charged for such services according to the rates set out in this article.
(1988 Code, ch. 11, sec. 3.00; Ordinance 1985-26, art. II, adopted 10/8/85; 2010 Code, sec. 46-22)
The monthly water rates and charge for water sold in bulk shall be as charged as provided for in appendix A of this code.
(1988 Code, ch. 11, sec. 4.00; Ordinance 2008-11, sec. 1, adopted 10/28/08; 2010 Code, sec. 46-23)
The monthly sewer service rates shall be charged as provided for in appendix A of this code for sewer service furnished by the city.
(1988 Code, ch. 11, sec. 5.00; Ordinance 2008-11, sec. 1, adopted 10/28/08; 2010 Code, sec. 46-24)
Regular water, sewer and garbage rates shall apply to all customers that are located outside of the city limits and who had prior city council approval to receive water and/or sewer services as of November 1, 2008. On and after November 1, 2008, all requests for city water and/or sewer services to be delivered to property located outside the city limits and that is not the subject of a voluntary annexation request shall be denied. Water and/or sewer services may only be extended to property located outside of the city limits after a request for voluntary annexation of the subject property into the city limits has been approved by the city council and such request has satisfied the requirements of state law applicable to voluntary annexation.
(1988 Code, ch. 11, sec. 6.00; Ordinance 1985-26, art. II, adopted 10/8/85; Ordinance 2008-11, sec. 1, adopted 10/28/08; 2010 Code, sec. 46-25)
(a)
Consolidated billing.
In the operation of the utility system the monthly billing for services shall be made on the same statement.
(b)
Due date; penalty charge; late notice.
The services statement shall reflect a “net” bill which shall be the amount the customer owes for each service billed for if paid by the due date. All bills are due and payable on or before the 15th day of the month in which the statement or bank draft was sent out by the city, which shall be the due date. In the event the 15th falls on a holiday or weekend, the due date shall be the next recognized city business workday. If payment in full of the amount of the net bill is not received on or before the due date, a penalty charge shall be added to the bill and the total of the bill and penalty amount shall become immediately due and payable. The penalty charge shall be computed by determining an amount equal to ten percent of the net bill. Once the penalty has been applied to the account, the account shall be considered late. The full amount of the late account payment shall be due on or before the tenth day after the issuance of a late notice. A second notice, or late notice, containing the total of the net bill and the penalty charge shall be issued and sent to the customer. This notice shall include the following statement to advise the customer of their right to protest the bill: “You have the right to protest all or any charges on this bill. Should you choose to protest this bill, you must contact the director of finance, or their designee, in writing within five working days from the date of this notice and request a hearing prior to the services being terminated. If you do not contact the director of finance within five working days from the date of this notice and you fail to remit payment in full of the amount due, your services will be discontinued without further notice.”
(c)
Discontinuance of service; reinstatement of service.
If a bill rendered under this article is not paid on or before the tenth day after the issuance of a late notice, and the customer either failed to request a hearing to protest the bill, or after a hearing the protest was denied, the account becomes delinquent and the utility services to such delinquent customers shall be discontinued. If service becomes delinquent, a service reinstatement fee, as provided for in appendix A of this code, shall be assessed in addition to any amounts due on the delinquent [bill], the total of which must be paid in full in cash, certified funds or money order before services may be reinstated.
(d)
Notification of changes affecting service.
It shall be the customer’s responsibility to notify the city of any changes in utility service that affect the customer’s billing or service. Any changes brought to the attention of the city by the customer shall not be effective until the next billing date after such notice.
(1988 Code, ch. 11, sec. 8.00; Ordinance 1985-26, art. II, adopted 10/8/85; Ordinance 1993-34, adopted 10/26/93; Ordinance 2000-13, sec. I, adopted 9/12/00; Ordinance 2009-24, sec. 2, adopted 10/12/09; 2010 Code, sec. 46-27)
(a)
Meter malfunctions.
If a water meter malfunctions or fails to register, the customer shall be charged a rate for that month equal to their average monthly bill over the past six months.
(b)
Leak rates.
(1)
If a leak occurs on the customer’s side of the meter, the customer may be eligible for a reduced rate or leak rate adjustment. The amount of gallons used to calculate the leak rate adjustment shall be arrived at by utilizing the large consumption month. Consumption for water shall be billed at half of the consumption for the month after applying the base usage of 3,000 gallons.
(2)
One adjustment per eighteen (18) months is permitted.
(3)
In order to be eligible for the leak rate, the customer must make a written application and show proof that there was in fact a leak and that it had been repaired with copies of plumbing repair bills.
(1988 Code, ch. 11, sec. 8.50; Ordinance 1990-26, sec. I, adopted 12/11/90; Ordinance 2007-10, sec. 1, adopted 10/9/07; 2010 Code, sec. 46-28; Ordinance 2017-17, sec. 1, adopted 10/9/17)
(a)
In order for the city council to intelligently determine the propriety of the utility rates being charged, any company, corporation or person operating within the corporate limits of the city and engaged in furnishing to the inhabitants of the city any water, light, gas, telephone or sewerage service shall, on or before May 1 of each year, file with the city secretary a written report, sworn to by the manager, secretary, chief accounting officer or president of such company or corporation. Such report shall contain a complete and detailed statement of the results of the operations of the business, as to its local operations for the preceding year, prepared in conformity with generally accepted and standard accounting procedure consistent with that used in the preceding year. Such report shall specifically, but not exclusively, contain:
(1)
A detailed schedule of all receipts, showing separately the source of each and every item of revenue.
(2)
A detailed schedule of all expenses, presented by showing separately all expense accounts applicable to local operations. Such schedule shall include only actual expenses incurred for the preceding year and shall show depreciation expense computed on a basis of original cost.
(3)
A schedule showing production costs at the source, transmission costs and delivered costs, as to unit and total costs, for fuel, power and service used in the local operations.
(4)
A detailed schedule showing all physical properties used in the local operations, giving the original cost or estimated original cost, if not of record, the year installed or year retired, the rate of depreciation and the annual and accumulated depreciation to date, and showing any separation for local service.
(5)
A detailed schedule of current rates being charged for each item of service offered or being furnished.
(6)
A schedule showing the computation of the percentage rate of return on the local investment for the preceding year.
(b)
Compliance with this section shall be a condition precedent to the granting of any franchise or franchise renewal or extension and any presentation of a rate adjustment request.
(c)
Any company or corporation, or any officers thereof, mentioned in this section, who shall refuse or fail to report in the manner provided herein shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and each day of such violation shall constitute a separate offense.
(1988 Code, ch. 11, sec. 11.00; Ordinance adopted 5/19/59; 2010 Code, sec. 46-30)
(a)
(1)
The city council hereby establishes a transportation user fee to be paid by the city’s utility customers within the city limits. Such fee shall be set in amounts which will provide sufficient funds to properly maintain the transportation system.
(2)
Collection of the fee against each property shall be made by a monthly charge to be added to the city utility bill for such property.
(b)
A separate fund shall be created effective October 1, 2018, known as the transportation fund. All fees collected by the city for the purpose of construction and maintenance of the transportation system shall be deposited in the transportation fund. It shall not be necessary for the expenditures from the fund to specifically relate to any particular property from which the fees were collected.
(c)
There is hereby imposed upon city utility customers within the city limits, a transportation user fee. This fee is deemed reasonable and necessary to pay for the operation, administration and maintenance of the transportation system. The fee shall be billed and collected with the monthly utility bill. All such bills shall be rendered monthly and shall be due upon receipt.
(d)
Any fee due hereunder which shall not be paid when due may be recovered in action at law by the city. In addition to any other remedies or penalties provided by this section or the code of city, failure of any user of the city utilities within the city to pay the fees promptly when due shall subject such user to the discontinuance of water services provided by the city.
(e)
The city manager or designee shall be responsible for the administration of this section. The city manager or designee shall be responsible for developing rules, regulations and procedures for the administration of fees and the consideration of petitions for modification and appeals pertaining to the fees charged hereunder; developing maintenance programs; and establishing transportation system criteria and standards for the operation and maintenance of the transportation system.
(f)
(1)
The fee paid and collected by virtue of this section shall not be used for the general government proprietary purposes of the city, except to pay for the equitable share of the cost of accounting, management and government thereof.
(2)
Other than as described above, the fees and charges shall be used solely to pay for the cost of operation, administration, planning, engineering, development of guidelines and controls, inspection, maintenance, repair, improvement, renewal, replacement and reconstruction of the transportation system and cost incidental thereto.
(g)
Property owned by the city is hereby exempt from the provisions of this section.
(h)
The city council will periodically review this section and the transportation user fee and shall be obligated to review them no later than in the first month following the third anniversary date of this section. Notwithstanding, the transportation user fees established by this section will remain unchanged until the first month following the third anniversary date of this section.
(Ordinance 2018-20 adopted 9/10/18)