(a) 
Fire hydrants are provided for the sole purpose of use to extinguish fire and are to be used and opened only by the water and fire departments or such person as may be given written authority by the manager of the public works director [department] or his designee.
(b) 
To insure the safety and protection of fire hydrants for fire protection, any person or persons authorized to open fire hydrants shall use only an approved spanner wrench and shall replace the caps on the outlet when the same are not in use; failure to do so shall be sufficient cause to prohibit further use of the hydrants and the refusal to grant subsequent permits for the use of fire hydrants, in addition to other penalties provided herein.
(c) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct or carry away any water from any fire hydrant without a written permit from the utility billing manager or the community development department.
(1996 Code, art. 5.500(a)–(c); Ordinance adopting Code)
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to place upon or about any fire hydrant, gate valve, manhole, curb cock, meter or meter box connected with any water pipe of the city waterworks system any object, material, debris, or structure of any kind so as to prevent free access to the same at all times.
(1996 Code, art. 5.500(d))
Water rates shall be established by appropriate resolution of the city council enacted after public notice and a public meeting at which the city council shall discuss such rates. Such rates, when established by such resolution, shall be collected by the manager of the utility billing office within the city.
(1996 Code, art. 11.400)
(a) 
Sewer service charges shall be established by appropriate resolution of the city council enacted after public notice and a public meeting at which the city council shall discuss such charges.
(b) 
The sewer charge for each single-family, duplex or multifamily dwelling shall be included in the water bill and calculated as follows:
(1) 
All sewer charges are based on the use of water passing through the water meter or meters. All single-family units having more than one meter shall have the usage of meters added together for the purposes of this section; however, if separate bills are rendered for a lawn sprinkler such consumption shall not be considered for sewer charges.
(2) 
Any duplex or multifamily dwelling which is served by a single water meter shall be billed a minimum charge for each unit, occupied or vacant, and any usage over the minimum shall be averaged over each unit of the dwelling as though each unit consumed the water the average indicates.
(3) 
Any duplex or multifamily dwelling having individual water meters for each unit shall be treated, for sewer billing purposes, as though each were a single-family dwelling.
(4) 
The sewer bill shall be based on the average billing of water over the three-month period as listed below:
(A) 
Cycle I: The water used during the months of November, December and January;
(B) 
Cycle II: The water used during the period of November 15 to February 15.
(5) 
Once each year, the sewer bill will be changed to reflect the averages above, which shall be used for all subsequent bills. The average billing and sewer bill is an element of the living unit and remains with the unit regardless of the occupant.
(6) 
In the event an occupant has not occupied his premises during the preceding months of November, December, and January, the sewer service charges set out in this section shall be based upon the average billing of water to the premises during the preceding months of November, December, and January, until such occupant shall have had water service for the months of November, December, and January, at which time the sewer bill shall be based upon the average billing over such three-month period as set out above in this subsection; provided, however, that if the occupant’s water usage during the first three (3) full months’ service results in an average billing lower than the average billing to the premises for the preceding November, December, and January, the sewer service charges shall be adjusted and based upon such lower amount.
(7) 
The manager of the utility billing office will make estimates in those situations where the average water consumption cannot be determined because of dead meters, inaccessible meters, and other related problems. If the consumer feels that such estimates made by the manager of the utility billing department are incorrect, he may appeal the estimated reading to the city manager and ultimately the city council.
(c) 
The sewer service charges for each business or commercial establishment of any nature, plus public institutions such as schools and churches, shall also be established by such resolution as provided in this section.
(d) 
Service charges to Southern Methodist University shall be as provided in such resolution.
(e) 
The charges for sewer service shall be rendered monthly on each bill for water service to the consumer, and failure on the part of the consumer to pay such charge for sewer service shall be deemed notice to the manager to disconnect water service to such customer and to disconnect such consumer from the sewer main, and the manager is hereby authorized to discontinue such services.
(f) 
In cases where the sewer charge for the current year exceeds the charge for the previous year, the previous year’s charge may be used for the months remaining in the current year providing the following requirements are met:
(1) 
The sewer charge for the current year must exceed the previous year’s charge by at least 50 percent;
(2) 
The customer must apply to the city’s utility office for the change;
(3) 
The customer pays the appropriate fee; and
(4) 
The customer must have received service at the same location during both the current and immediately preceding year.
Such change is available once per customer address per year. Only the most immediate preceding year’s winter quarter average, determined as provided in subsection (b)(4) above, may be used. The recalculation will only apply to the months remaining until the next following February billing year.
(1996 Code, art. 11.500; Ordinance adopting Code)