Commercial security deposits are based on historical average consumption using not less than 12 consecutive months of data, computed using the current city water and wastewater rates. The required deposit will be two times the average bill. If no recent historical data is available, the deposit will be taken from Appendix A. All residential customers will use the deposits established in Appendix A. If a residential or commercial customer seeks to re-establish service and there is evidence of nonpayment on a prior account or if an account is disconnected for nonpayment three times within a 12-month period, a deposit in an amount equal to double the deposit established in Appendix A is required to activate or continue service. If a multi-family (apartment/trailer park) is disconnected at any time for nonpayment, a security deposit of twice the customer's highest bill shall be required as a condition of reconnection.
(Ordinance 1965, § III(C), adopted 1/24/1994; Ordinance 3155, § 1, adopted 8/22/2011)
(a) 
Rates established for billings include all current charges by the city's suppliers of purchased water and wastewater treatment.
(b) 
Any future changes in the city's cost of water purchased and wastewater treatment from the city's suppliers will be passed through to the city's customers. The changes will be maintained as a separate item by the utility billing department and will be made available to utility customers upon request. Only changes in the cost of water purchases and sewer treatment will be passed through.
(Ordinance 1965, § III(D), adopted 1/24/1994)
(a) 
Billing and payment; delinquent penalty.
All charges for services furnished or rendered by the city under this division, which shall include water, sewer and garbage service, shall be due and payable 20 days from the billing date stamped on the bill, and if not paid within this 20 days after payable and due, a ten percent penalty will be added to the next bill. (A minimum penalty shall be as established in Appendix A for residential accounts and the minimum penalty for commercial accounts shall be as established in Appendix A.)
(b) 
Effective date.
This section will become effective on or after billings of June 1, 1994.
(Ordinance 1965, § III(E), adopted 1/24/1994)
If the measurement for billing units for water and sewer consumption is changed, the director of finance shall file amended water and sewer rate schedules with the city secretary reflecting the equivalent rates for the new measurement, and certify they are appropriate equivalents to the most recent approved rates in effect prior to the change.
(Ordinance 1965, § III(F), adopted 1/24/1994; Ordinance 3495, §§ 2, 5(Exh. A), adopted 1/22/2018)
The city shall simultaneously collect the respective amounts due the city for services supplied by the waterworks and sanitary sewer system and shall refuse to accept payment for a part of such service, unless the entire amount due from such respective customer for all services supplied by the waterworks and sanitary sewer system is paid.
(Code 1975, § 23-25)
(a) 
Generally.
All charges for services billed by the city utility department shall be due when billed and delinquent 20 days from the date mailed.
(b) 
Discontinuance of service.
Service under this chapter to any customer will be subject to disconnection 30 days after the date any bill is mailed if not paid in full.
(c) 
Reasons for discontinuance.
Service under this chapter will be discontinued without notice for any of the following reasons:
(1) 
Failure to pay a delinquent account for utility services or failure to comply with the terms of a deferred payment agreement;
(2) 
Noncash payment which has been returned unpaid or declined for any reason;
(3) 
Failure to pay deposit;
(4) 
Failure to pay charges for water or sewer service provided by another city to a customer in this city;
(5) 
Failure to pay charges for sanitation service;
(6) 
Tampering with meter or bypassing;
(7) 
Reconnection by anyone other than an authorized city employee; or
(8) 
Unauthorized usage.
(d) 
Notices.
A notice of delinquency will be sent after 30 days from the date of initial billing. A notice will be sent to each residential tenant of a multifamily customer of a pending disconnection and a charge will be made to the multifamily customer for such notices in the amount set out in Appendix A.
(e) 
Continuation or reconnection.
Service shall not be continued or reconnected until all current and delinquent charges, together with the penalties as established by this section, have been paid.
(Code 1975, § 23-26; Ordinance 2688, § 6, adopted 2/24/2003; Ordinance 2766, § 1(23-26), adopted 1/12/2004; Ordinance 3155, § 2, adopted 8/22/2011)
(a) 
Lien established; exception.
Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, a lien is hereby established against an owner's property, unless it is a homestead as protected by the Texas Constitution, for delinquent bills for municipal utility service to the property.
(b) 
Rental property.
The city's lien shall not apply to bills for service connected in a tenant's name after notice by the property owner to the city that the property is rental property.
(c) 
Application to prior bills.
The city's lien shall not apply to bills for service connected in a tenant's name prior to the effective date of the ordinance from which this article derives.
(d) 
Recording of lien.
The city's lien shall be perfected by recording in the real property records of the county where the property is located a notice of lien containing a legal description of the property and the account number for the delinquent charges. The lien shall include an administrative charge of $50.00, interest at eight percent per annum, and collection costs.
(e) 
Priority of lien.
The city's lien is inferior to a bona fide mortgage lien that is recorded before the recording of the lien provided for herein in the real property records of county. The lien herein is superior to all other liens, including previously recorded judgment liens and any liens recorded after the lien provided for herein.
(Ordinance 2766, § 1(23-27), adopted 1/12/2004; Ordinance 3155, § 2, adopted 8/22/2011)
A consumer shall be held responsible for loss of water due to breakage in pipe or plumbing on the discharge side of the meter, and if this water is not paid for according to the established rates, when it becomes due, the service shall be discontinued by the city utility department until charges are paid.
(Code 1975, § 23-28)
Should any consumer demand a meter be tested for accuracy, he shall make a deposit, the amount to be determined by the director of utilities, with the city utility department. If the test shows the meter is registering within the warranty of the meter manufacturer, the deposit shall become the property of the city utility department. If the test shows the meter is registering more water than is actually going through the meter, the deposit shall be refunded to the user.
(Code 1975, § 23-29)
A transfer fee as established in Appendix A shall be made for transfer of service from one location to another within the city.
(Code 1975, § 23-30)
A handling charge will be imposed for each noncash payment which is returned unpaid or declined. Such fee will be posted in the utility department.
(Code 1975, § 23-31; Ordinance 3155, § 3, adopted 8/22/2011)
(a) 
Generally.
Payments in cash may be required if three or more of the customer's noncash payments have been returned unpaid or declined within the preceding 12-month period.
(b) 
Cash.
Cash required after disconnection for nonpayment. If service has been disconnected for nonpayment of a utility bill and two or more noncash payments have been returned unpaid or declined within the preceding 12-month period, the billing department may require payment in cash for services and reconnect fee as a condition of restoring service.
(Code 1975, § 23-32; Ordinance 3155, § 3, adopted 8/22/2011)