(a)
There shall be appointed by the city council a superintendent of
the water works, who shall be the administrative officer of the water
works system, including all engine houses, engines, pumps, reservoirs,
stand pipes, elevated tanks, pipe lines, hydrants, meters, wrenches,
stopcocks, gate valves, fire plugs, testing equipment, and all other
property and machinery used in or connected with the water works system.
He/she shall have general supervision over all employees of the water
works system and shall make frequent trips of inspection over all
pipe lines and all other property used in or connected with the water
system, and shall make all repairs deemed necessary and consistent
with his/her duties.
(b)
He/she shall report all violations of this article to the city council,
and shall forthwith proceed to have prosecuted offenders as set forth
in this article or any amendment thereof.
(c)
He/she shall also attend to and control the water supply and all
times see to the sufficiency thereof, and shall notify the community,
unless emergency requires otherwise, of the necessity of shutting
off any pipe line for the purpose of making repairs, extensions, connections,
etc., should he/she know beforehand the necessity to so shut off the
water from any line or lines of the system.
(d)
In the performance of his/her duties as required by this article,
the superintendent shall be subject at all times to the city ordinances,
rules and regulations. He/she shall serve for such term and receive
such compensation as may be fixed by the governing body.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.401)
It shall hereafter be unlawful for any person or persons to
do, commit or assist in committing any of the following things or
acts in the city:
(1)
To open or close any fire hydrant or stopcock connected with the
water works system of the city or lift or remove the covers of any
gate valves or shutoffs thereof, without the permission of the superintendent
of the water works, except in case of fire, and then under the direction
of officers of the fire department;
(2)
To interfere with, destroy, deface, impair, injure, or wantonly force
open any gate, or door, or in any way whatsoever destroy, injure,
or deface any part of any engine house, reservoir, standpipe, elevated
tank, building or buildings or appurtenances, fences, trees, shrubs,
or fixtures or property appertaining to the water works system;
(3)
To go upon or ascend the stairway or steps, on any elevated water
storage tank or standpipe of the water works system, except by permission
of the water works superintendent;
(4)
To place any telegraph, telephone, electric light pole, or any obstruction
whatsoever within three (3) feet of any fire hydrant;
(5)
To resort to any fraudulent device or arrangement for the purpose
of procuring water for himself or others from private connections
on premises contrary to the city regulations or ordinances;
(6)
To interfere with or injure any reservoir, tank, fountain, hydrant,
pipe, cock, valve, or other apparatus pertaining to the water works
system, or to turn on or off without authority the water in any street
hydrant or other water fixture, or to hitch or tie any animal there;
(7)
To make or permit to be made any connections with the main or service
pipes of the water works system or to turn on or use the water of
said system without first obtaining a permit therefor;
(8)
To cover over or conceal from view any water valve box, service or
meter box;
(9)
To remove any water meter that has been placed by the city, or to
any manner change, interfere with or tamper with any water meter,
providing that the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to
the employees of the city when acting in their official capacity;
or
(10)
To turn on the water supply to any building or to any supply pipe
where the supply has been turned off for the nonpayment of the monthly
water charge or for the violation of any rule or ordinance governing
the water works system.
(11)
To tamper, alter, connect to, or alter any component of the city
waterworks or alter any component of the city waterworks and sanitary
sewer system including valves, meters, meter boxes, lids, hydrants,
lines, pump stations, ground storage tanks, and elevated storage tanks.
This shall include the direct or indirect efforts to initiate or restore
water service without the approval of the city.
(12)
To knowingly cause, suffer or permit the initiation or restoration
of water service to premises after city termination of service without
the written consent of the city manager or his designee. For purposes
of this section it shall be presumed that the owner, occupant or person
in control of the premises caused, suffered, or permitted the unlawful
initiation or restoration of service.
(13)
To cover, conceal, or allow any obstruction that hinders access to
any water valve box, service, or meter box.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.402; Ordinance 2013-0949 adopted 8/19/13)
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to
make any connection to the mains or pipes of the water works system
of the city, without first making application to the city, stating
fully the several and various uses for which water is wanted, giving
the name of the owner of the property, the number of the lot and block,
name of the street and house number. Upon the payment of the tapping
fee, the superintendent shall make, or have made, the necessary connections
and furnish a cast iron curb stop box and curb cock, the cost of which
is included in the tapping fee, and every premises connected with
any water main, or being supplied with any water from the city water
works, shall have a separate service connection, curb stop box and
curb cock. If the application is approved by the water superintendent,
a permit will be issued. All fees, and charges shall be paid for at
amounts and rates fixed by this article or by resolutions of the governing
body.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.403)
Any person wishing to discontinue the use of water supply from the water works system must give notice thereof to the city, otherwise the charge will be entered until such notice has been given. The charge for shutting off and turning on of such service shall be as provided for in the fee schedule found in appendix A of this code, and no allowance will be made in any case for less than thirty (30) days.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.404)
It shall be the duty of all employees of the city, including
officers and member of the police force to report to the superintendent
of the water works, upon blanks furnished for that purpose, any leaks
or unnecessary waste of water that may come to their attention, also
any violations of this article.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.405)
All meters, whether private or belonging to the water works
system, shall be set by the employees of the city. If the meter gets
out of order and fails to register, the consumer will be charged at
the average daily consumption, as shown by the meter when in order.
All water that passes through the meter shall be charged for, whether
used or not.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.406)
Each consumer of water, living in a separate house, must have
a separate connection and meter for each house. Provided where a residence
is not in reach of a city water main, arrangements may be made, at
the option of the city, to secure water from another user of city
water, in which case the minimum monthly charge shall be made for
each additional residence taking water through such meter. The regular
minimum, the additional minimum and all water used over the minimums
by such consumers, shall be charged to the customer having the meter.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.407)
Each water customer for residential service shall make a water meter deposit as provided for in the fee schedule found in appendix A of this code which may be applied to the payment of any unpaid water bill and, when so used, the full amount of the water meter deposit shall be restored to the original amount; otherwise the customer will be in default. A refund of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) of the water meter deposit will be made to the customer after twelve (12) months if no bill is paid late and if no single monthly bill, with applicable fees added, is more than fifty dollars ($50.00). Any unused potion of the deposit shall be refunded at any time the account of service is discontinued. When the deposit is to be applied to the payment of any unpaid bills, the deposit shall be restored to the original amount; otherwise the water customer will be in default. Any unused portion of the deposit shall be refunded at any time the account or service is discontinued.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.408)
(a)
The uniform monthly rates shall be charged all person, firms or corporations for use of the city water within the corporate limits of the city shall be as provided for in the fee schedule found in appendix A of this code.
(b)
Monthly rates in amounts double that of the above corporate limits
rates shall be charged all persons, firms or corporations for use
of water outside of the city’s corporate limits.
(c)
Any future changes in the city’s cost of water purchased from
the city’s water suppliers will be passed through to the city’s
water customers.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.409; Ordinance 2024-02-1188 adopted 2/19/2024)
All bills for water service furnished or rendered by the city water works of the city shall be mailed to customers on the last working day of each month, and shall be due and payable on or before the tenth (10th) day of the succeeding month at the office of the water department of the city. If not paid in full by the tenth (10th) day of the month, there shall be added a late charge in an amount equal to ten (10) percent of the bill. In the event the bill is not paid by the twentieth (20th) day of the month, an additional service fee, as provided for in the fee schedule found in appendix A, shall be added to the account. For a habitual delinquent account (those accounts which have been delinquent after the twentieth (20th) day of the month on three (3) different months), a service fee, as provided for in the fee schedule found in appendix A of this code, shall be added to the customer’s account. One-half (1/2) of such service fee shall be retained by the city water works, as a service fee and one-half (1/2) shall be added to the customer’s meter deposit.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.410)
The tapping charges for connections with the city water mains and lateral shall be as provided for in the fee schedule found in appendix A of this code.
(1992 Code, sec. 11.411)
