Any customer who desires service from the city water and/or wastewater system shall make application therefor to the city, and must pay the required deposit at the time of application. All deposits shall be held by the city, without payment of interest thereon, until such service is terminated. Any unpaid balance owed to the city shall be deducted from the deposit and the remainder shall be refunded to the customer.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. III)
(a) 
Purpose.
The city is responsible for protecting the drinking water supply from contamination or pollution which could result from improper private water distribution system construction or configuration. The purpose of this service agreement is to notify each customer of the restrictions which are in place to provide this protection. The city enforces these restrictions to ensure the public health and welfare. Each customer must sign this agreement before the city will begin service. In addition, when service to an existing connection has been suspended or terminated, the water system will not reestablish service unless it has a signed copy of this agreement.
(b) 
Restrictions.
The following unacceptable practices are prohibited by state regulations.
(1) 
No direct connection between the public drinking water supply and a potential source of contamination is permitted. Potential sources of contamination shall be isolated from the public water system by an air-gap or an appropriate backflow prevention device.
(2) 
No cross-connection between the public drinking water supply and a private water system is permitted. These potential threats to the public drinking water supply shall be eliminated at the service connection by the installation of an air-gap or a reduced pressure-zone backflow prevention device.
(3) 
No connection which allows water to be returned to the public drinking water supply is permitted.
(4) 
No pipe or pipefitting which contains more than 8.0% lead may be used for the installation or repair of plumbing at any connection which provides water for human use.
(5) 
No solder or flux which contains more than 0.2 percent lead can be used for the installation or repair of plumbing at any connection which provides water for human use.
(c) 
Service agreement.
The following are the terms of the service agreement between the city and the customer.
(1) 
The water system will maintain a copy of this agreement as long as the customer and/or the premises is connected to the water system.
(2) 
The customer shall allow his property to be inspected for possible cross-connections and other potential contamination hazards. These inspections shall be conducted by the water system or its designated agent prior to initiating new water service; when there is reason to believe that cross-connections or other potential contamination hazards exist; or after any major changes to the private water distribution facilities. The inspections shall be conducted during the water system’s normal business hours.
(3) 
The water system shall notify the customer in writing of any cross-connection or other potential contamination hazard which has been identified during the initial inspection or the periodic reinspection.
(4) 
The customer shall immediately remove or adequately isolate any potential cross-connections or other potential contamination hazards on his premises.
(5) 
The customer shall, at his expense, properly install, test, and maintain any backflow prevention device required by the water system. Copies of all testing and maintenance records shall be provided to the water system.
(d) 
Enforcement.
If the customer fails to comply with the terms of the service agreement, the water system shall, at its option, terminate service or properly install, test, and maintain an appropriate reduced pressure zone device (RPZD, RPZ or RPZ valve) at the service connection. Any expenses associated with the enforcement of this agreement shall be billed to the customer.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. VIII (B); Ordinance 13 adopted 1/6/2015)
(a) 
The amount of water used shall be determined by the water superintendent or his assistant from water meters installed at each connection. The water superintendent or his assistant shall read such water meters once each month and shall record to the nearest 200 the number of gallons used by each consumer since the preceding reading.
(b) 
The water superintendent or his assistant shall deliver his record of such readings to the city clerk, who shall on the first day of each month mail to each consumer a statement showing to the nearest 200 the number of gallons of water consumed and showing also the amount due from such consumer, including any charges accrued for sewer connection.
(c) 
(1) 
If any consumer feels that a meter is registering water consumption inaccurately, the consumer may request in writing that the meter be tested. A deposit in an amount established by the city council in the annual budget or by minute entry shall be filed with the request. The meter shall be tested as quickly as possible. If the test shows an error of two percent or more in the registering of a meter one inch or less or an error of three per cent or more in a meter larger than one inch, there shall be no charge for testing. If there is not such an error, the consumer shall pay for the test which shall be the amount deposited before the test. If the meter failed to register correctly the amount of water used by any consumer since the previous reading, the city may charge for water upon the basis of the previous three-month average.
(2) 
The initial deposit shall be established at $50.00. That amount may be changed by city council at any time without the necessity of amending this section.
(Ordinance adopted 3/18/1941, secs. 6, 7; Ordinance adopted 9/22/2015)
The following water and sewer rates were adopted by the city council to be effective on 1/20/15 and shall be billed and collected by the city:
(1) 
Water rates.
 
Monthly Billing
 
Inside City
Outside Billing
Residential rate:
 
 
0–3,000
$47.00 Base
$52.80 Base
3,001–10,000
$3.20/1,000
$3.90/1,000
10,001–20,000
$3.70/1,000
$4.40/1,000
20,001–40,000
$4.00/1,000
$4.70/1,000
40,000 & up
$6.00/1,000
$7.00/1,000
Commercial rate:
 
 
0–3,000
$54.00 Base
$60.00 Base
3,001–10,000
$3.90/1,000
$4.90/1,000
10,001–20,000
$4.50/1,000
$5.50/1,000
20,001–40,000
$5.00/1,000
$6.00/1,000
40,000 & up
$7.00/1,000
$8.50/1,000
(2) 
Sewer rates.
 
Monthly Billing
 
Inside City
Outside Billing
Residential rate (flat rate):
$20.40 Base
$30.00 Base
Commercial
 
 
0–2,500
$30.00 Base
Not Applicable
2,501 & up
$2.59/1,000
Not Applicable
(3) 
Tap rates.
 
Installation Cost
 
Inside City
Outside Billing
Sewer
 
 
4" pipe
$1,500.00
$2,000.00
6" pipe
$2,000.00
$2,500.00
8" pipe
$2,500.00
$3,000.00
Water
 
 
1" pipe
$1,800.00
$3,600.00
2" pipe
$2,100.00
$4,200.00
2+" pipe
Per install
Per install
Note: K.C.’s (Tap $375.00)
Base rate to be $30.60 per month based on water usage.
(4) 
Reconnect fee if disconnected for nonpayment of charges: $50.00.
(5) 
Delinquent payment charge: $25.00 fee.
(6) 
Deposit prior to water/sewer services: $100.00. The city reserves the right to increase the deposit amount if necessary when total billing exceeds the deposit amount.
(7) 
Unauthorized turn-on by customer: $50.00.
(8) 
Persons desiring water service during periods of unoccupancy (example, restoration or cleanup of property). Minimum charge per month or portion of month: Residential rates.
(9) 
Bullhead.
 
Installation Cost
 
Inside City
Outside Billing
Water
 
 
Existing 1"
$425.00
$475.00
Existing 2"
$535.00
$585.00
Existing 2+"
$550.00
$600.00
(Ordinance adopting Code; Ordinance 9 adopted –/–/2014; Ordinance adopted 9/2/2014; Ordinance 1 adopted 1/20/2015)
Such rates and charges hereby fixed and prescribed shall be paid by the customers of the water and wastewater system to the city in advance of the sixteenth (16th) day of each month, which shall be the date such rates or charges shall become due and payable, and such rates or charges shall become delinquent after such date. A late charge shall be charged on all delinquent payments, which is to say, all payments made after the fifteenth (15th) day of each month. In the event that any customer of the systems furnished by the city does not pay the rates and charges within ten (10) days after the same are due, the water superintendent shall have the authority to disconnect or terminate or cause to be disconnected or terminated all services furnished such customer and shall not be again reconnected for the same user until all costs incurred in the actual physical disconnect and reconnect have been paid and all delinquent service charges have been paid to the city.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. IV)
The water superintendent has the authority to disconnect service to any customer that has a problem with the water or sewer plumbing if he determines it to be a health hazard or could cause a health hazard. Service will be continued when the hazard has been eliminated.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. VI)
The city shall not be liable for any damage to the property of any consumer of any utility service furnished by the city due to backflow of the sewer system or any other cause outside the direct control of the city.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. VIII (A))
All meters shall be the property of the city and shall be maintained by the city. It shall be unlawful for any person, other than a duly authorized employee of the city, to tamper with any meter, or in any manner to injure any meter, or to manipulate or attempt to manipulate any meter in any manner so as to affect its registration or measurement of the metered utility service.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. VIII (C))
Classes of water and sewer customers:
(1) 
Residential: Single-family homes, duplexes, etc., where each unit has its own water meter.
(2) 
Commercial: All units or businesses not otherwise classified.
(3) 
Apartments: Two (2) or more living units served by a single water meter.
(4) 
Multi-unit commercial: Two (2) or more businesses in a complex served by only one (1) meter.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. VIII (D))
It is illegal to connect more than one (1) resident or one (1) place of business to one (1) meter.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. VIII (F))
The city reserves the right to cut off the water and sewer service without notice in case of emergency. When any interruption in service is necessary for the maintenance and improvement of the system affected, customers will be notified as circumstances permit. The city further reserves the right to at any time restrict or prevent the use of any service furnished by the city during periods of emergency or circumstances demanding such restriction or prevention of the use.
(Ordinance adopted 9/2/2008, sec. VIII (F))