(a) 
Application.
Request for a water tap within the corporate limits of the city shall be made to the water and sewer supervisor. The applicant shall give the name of the owner or owners of the property and name of the street and house number to which the connection is to be made. The applicant shall pay the required deposit plus a tapping fee in an amount as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code.
(b) 
Connection authorized.
Upon the approval of the request by the water and sewer supervisor, the supervisor shall make or have the necessary connections made with the cost of materials to be included in the tapping fee.
(c) 
Tapping fees.
The tapping fee is set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; Ordinance 89-516 adopted 9/12/89; Ordinance 10-05 adopted 11/1/10; Ordinance 12-02 adopted 10/18/12; Ordinance 16-11 adopted 9/15/16; 1994 Code, sec. 51.080; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
(a) 
Application.
An application for water or sewer service outside the corporate limits shall be made to the city manager. The application shall fully contain the several and various uses for such services wanted. It shall state the name of the owner or owners of the property and shall state the address and legal description to which the connection is to be made.
(b) 
Approval.
After the filing of the application with the city manager, the applicant shall appear before the mayor and city council during a regular meeting for approval of the services.
(c) 
Deposit and tapping fee.
Upon the approval of water service outside the corporate limits of the city by the city council, the applicant shall pay the required deposit as provided in section 12.03.126 and a tapping fee as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code.
(d) 
Installation of connection and meter.
The water and sewer supervisor shall make or have the necessary water connection made, with the placement of the water meter to be located as determined by the water and sewer supervisor.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; 1994 Code, sec. 51.081; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
Water pipes located on the house side of a water meter and sewer pipes from the house to the point of attachment to the sewer main shall be the responsibility of the connecting customers. All sewer mains located outside the corporate limits of the city shall be the responsibility of the connecting customers.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; 1994 Code, sec. 51.082)
Each applicant for water service at a living unit, as defined in section 12.03.001, other than at a business unit, shall be required to deposit the sum set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code with the city before water service is furnished. For each occupied business unit, the deposit shall be as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code. The deposit shall be used for paying any unpaid bills of the applicant for water, sewer, or garbage service, or electricity costs of streetlights, and when so used, the deposit shall be restored to the current amount. Any unused portion of the deposit shall be refunded to the applicant at any time the account or service is discontinued.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; Ordinance 17-07 adopted 9/21/17; 1994 Code, sec. 51.083)
Each applicant for authorized water service outside the corporate city limits shall be required to deposit a sum as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code with the city before water service is furnished. A business unit outside the corporate city limits shall be required to deposit the sum set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code. Such deposit shall be used for paying any unpaid bills of the applicant for water, sewer or garbage service, or electricity costs of streetlights, and when so used the deposit shall be restored to the current amount. Any unused portion of the deposit shall be refunded to the applicant at any time the account or service is discontinued.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; Ordinance 17-07 adopted 9/21/17; 1994 Code, sec. 51.085; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
All water meters, whether private or belonging to the water system, shall be set by the employees of the city. In the event a water meter becomes out of order or in disrepair and fails to properly register the amount of water used, the consumer shall be charged the average daily consumption rate as shown by the prior 30 days which the meter was in order and was properly registering. All water that registers through the meter shall be charged for, whether used or not. All water that passes through a water meter shall be charged for, whether used or not.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; 1994 Code, sec. 51.086)
The minimum water rates and the rates per 1,000 gallons shall be as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; Ordinance 89-516 adopted 9/12/89; Ordinance 91-546 adopted 9/10/91; Ordinance 93-560 adopted 9/14/93; Ordinance 97-582 adopted 9/2/97; Ordinance 00-06 adopted 9/19/00; Ordinance 01-07 adopted 9/21/01; Ordinance 02-04 adopted 9/17/02; Ordinance 03-10 adopted 9/16/03; Ordinance 06-04 adopted 10/19/06; Ordinance 07-04 adopted 10/18/07; Ordinance 08-02 adopted 6/19/08; Ordinance 10-05 adopted 11/1/10; Ordinance 12-02 adopted 10/18/12; Ordinance 13-08 adopted 9/19/13; Ordinance 13-14 adopted 11/27/13; Ordinance 14-06 adopted 9/18/14; Ordinance 15-04 adopted 9/17/15; Ordinance 16-07 adopted 9/15/16; Ordinance 17-03 adopted 3/16/17; Ordinance 19-10 adopted 10/25/19; 1994 Code, sec. 51.087; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
Sewer service rates shall be as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; Ordinance 89-516 adopted 9/12/89; Ordinance 91-546 adopted 9/10/91; Ordinance 93-560 adopted 9/14/93; Ordinance 01-07 adopted 9/21/01; Ordinance 02-04 adopted 9/17/02; Ordinance 03-10 adopted 9/16/03; Ordinance 06-04 adopted 10/19/06; Ordinance 07-04 adopted 10/18/07; Ordinance 13-08 adopted 9/19/13; Ordinance 13-14 adopted 11/27/13; Ordinance 15-04 adopted 9/17/15; Ordinance 16-07 adopted 9/15/16; Ordinance 17-07 adopted 9/21/17; Ordinance 19-10 adopted 10/25/19; Ordinance 20-11 adopted 9/30/20; 1994 Code, sec. 51.088; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
The bills for water, sewer, garbage service, and electricity cost of streetlights shall be rendered together on one bill and shall be rendered monthly and are payable on the fourteenth day following the rendering date. If the bill is not paid by the fourteenth day following the rendering date, a second notice shall be mailed and a penalty in the amount set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code shall be added to the amount due. If the bill is not paid by the due date specified on the second notice, all services may be discontinued subject to the provisions of section 12.03.134 and may be resumed only upon full payment of all sums due. Payment of one service will not be accepted unless payment is made simultaneously for all services.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; Ordinance 99-594 adopted 8/17/99; Ordinance 04-07 adopted 9/16/04; Ordinance 10-01 adopted 3/11/10; Ordinance 10-05 adopted 11/1/10; 1994 Code, sec. 51.089; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
Any customer whose water service is discontinued for the reason of nonpayment shall pay the city a charge as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code for each and every meter disconnected. All past due accounts shall be paid and collected before water service is restored. The customer shall pay a service charge as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code at the time of restoring service or add the charge to their next bill.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; Ordinance 86-489 adopted 2/25/86; Ordinance 99-594 adopted 8/17/99; Ordinance 10-01 adopted 3/11/10; Ordinance 10-05 adopted 11/1/10; 1994 Code, sec. 51.090; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
(a) 
The city utility office shall charge a fee as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code for all searching of records for each request of each individual account for any purpose other than clarification of a dispute concerning the current amount owed on any account.
(b) 
All funds received from such charges shall be deposited into the miscellaneous income, water, and sewer fund of the city.
(c) 
There shall be no charge for this service to other local taxing entities, such other local taxing entities being the Kermit Independent School District, the City of Wink, Texas, and all subdivisions of the county.
(Ordinance 87-497 adopted 7/14/87; 1994 Code, sec. 51.091; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
Any person wishing to have a water meter checked for accuracy shall give notice to the water and sewer supervisor and state the reasons for the request. The customer shall pay a charge as set forth in the fee schedule in appendix A of this code to have the meter checked. If the check proves that the meter is faulty, the charge will be waived.
(Ordinance 83-458 adopted 9/27/83; Ordinance 86-489 adopted 2/25/86; Ordinance 16-11 adopted 9/15/16; 1994 Code, sec. 51.092; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
(a) 
It is the policy of the city to discontinue utility service to customers by reason of nonpayment of bills only after notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard on disputed bills. The city’s form for application for utility service and all bills shall contain, in addition to the title, address, room number, and telephone number of the official in charge of billing, clearly visible and easily readable provisions to the effect that:
(1) 
All bills are due and payable on or before the date set forth on the bill;
(2) 
If any bill is not paid by or before that date, a second bill will be mailed containing a cutoff notice that if the bill is not paid within ten days of the mailing of the second bill, service will be discontinued for nonpayment; and
(3) 
Any customer disputing the correctness of his or her bill shall have a right to a hearing at which time he or she may be represented in person and by counsel or any other person of his or her choosing and may present orally or in writing his or her complaint and contentions to the city official in charge of utility billing. This official shall be authorized to order that the customer’s service not be discontinued and shall have the authority to make a final determination of the customer’s complaint.
(b) 
Requests for delays or waiver of payment will not be entertained; only questions of proper and correct billing will be considered. In the absence of payment of the bill rendered or resort to the hearing procedure provided herein, service will be discontinued at the time specified, but in no event until the charges have been due and unpaid for at least 30 days.
(c) 
(1) 
Persons with single-family residential accounts who are 60 years of age or older may request an exemption from the late payment charge. This is to accommodate those persons who receive their social security checks later than they receive the utility bill. This exemption shall apply to only one residential account at a time, and shall remain in effect, without renewal, as long as the account name does not change.
(2) 
(A) 
On request by an elderly individual, a utility shall delay without penalty the payment date of a bill for providing utility service to that individual until the third day of the following month.
(B) 
This subsection applies only to an elderly individual who:
(i) 
Is a residential customer; and
(ii) 
Occupies the entire premises for which a day [delay] is requested.
(3) 
(A) 
An elderly individual may request that the utility implement the delay under Texas Utilities Code section 182.003 for:
(i) 
The most recent utility bill; or
(ii) 
The most recent utility bill and each subsequent utility bill.
(B) 
A utility may require an individual requesting a delay under this subsection to present reasonable proof that the individual is 60 years of age or older.
(Ordinance 99-594 adopted 8/17/99; Ordinance 10-02 adopted 3/11/10; 1994 Code, sec. 51.093)