A bill for general water service will be rendered bimonthly. A bill for special water service may be rendered monthly or at any lesser frequency which the city chooses. The city shall have the meter read at approximately equal intervals, with meter reading frequency the same as billing frequency. The city shall have special meter readings made for opening or closing billing purposes.
(Prior code § 14-151; Ord. 12-12 § 1)
Each meter on a customer's premises is billed separately. The readings of two or more meters may not be combined unless the water department installs two or more meters in place of one for operating convenience or necessity.
(Prior code § 14-152; Ord. 12-12 § 1)
An opening and closing bill for less than the regular billing period shall be prorated on a daily basis so that the charge to the customer shall reflect the actual number of days of service during the billing period.
(Prior code § 14-154; Ord. 90-7 N.S., 1990; Ord. 12-12 § 1)
A bill is due and payable on presentation. The customer shall make payment at the place designated by the city. When payment is made by a check which is returned to the city dishonored by the drawee, a returned check fee set by resolution of the city council shall be added to the bill, which returned check charge shall be in addition to any other charges due.
(Prior code § 14-155; Ord. 90-7 N.S., 1990; Ord. 12-12 § 1)
In case of dispute as to payment of a bill previously delivered, the customer shall present the receipted bill, canceled check, or other satisfactory evidence of payment before the city may make an adjustment or correction.
(Prior code § 14-160; Ord. 12-12 § 1)
A bill is delinquent 60 days after the due date on the original issued bill. When a bill is delinquent, there shall be added a delinquent charge as set by resolution of the city council. If the bill and the delinquent charge are not paid within seven days after the delinquent date, the city may discontinue service as provided in BMC § 13.08.080.
(Prior code § 14-156; Ord. 90-7 N.S., 1990; Ord. 12-12 § 1; Ord. 23-04 § 2)
If a customer receives service at more than one service location and the bill for any one of that customer's accounts becomes delinquent and the city discontinues service, the city may discontinue service at all other locations. Notices will be sent a minimum of seven days to all addresses the account holder is responsible for.
(Prior code § 14-157; Ord. 12-12 § 1; Ord. 23-04 § 3)
When water service is discontinued because of delinquency in payment of a utility bill, the city may not restore the service until all charges, including the delinquent charge as provided in BMC § 13.16.060 and a reconnection service fee set by resolution of the city council, are paid. If the account holder cannot pay all fees up front in order to restore their water service, they can go on a payment arrangement for repayment. The city only allows one payment arrangement to be active for each account holder at a time.
(Prior code § 14-158; Ord. 90-7 N.S., 1990; Ord. 12-12 § 1; Ord. 23-04 § 4)
The definition of "tampering" for purposes of this chapter includes the following: customer manually turning water service back on, customer cutting/removing lock, customer damaging meter, and/or customer replumbing around the meter. For each instance of tampering a penalty will be assessed, and depending on the severity of the issue, time and materials costs to repair the damage to the public property may also be assessed. If following discontinuance of service for delinquency in payment the service is resumed without authorization, the city may remove the meter. In the event that the city removes the meter because of an unauthorized resumption of service, there shall be a tampering fee set by resolution of the city council plus the cost of time and materials required from the city to prevent the unauthorized use of the meter. The tampering fee is in addition to all other charges and deposits and must be paid prior to resumption of service.
(Prior code § 14-159; Ord. 90-7 N.S., 1990; Ord. 12-12 § 1)
A. 
A bill may be adjusted allowing for a leak or loss of water only when evidence clearly shows the excessive delivery is due to leaking pipes or fixtures and not wasteful use or the consumer's acts, omissions, or negligence. The city may make an adjustment only after repairs are made and the city is satisfied that the leak or loss has been eliminated. No adjustment or allowance may be made covering more than two consecutive billing periods including the one in which the adjustment is requested. No more than one adjustment or allowance may be made to the same account for the same premises in any 12-month period.
B. 
The director shall determine the amount of excess delivery and shall subtract one-half of that amount from the total water delivered. The remaining amount for each billing period shall be charged at the regular rates applicable to the customer's account.
(Prior code § 14-161; Ord. 12-12 § 1)
After an inspection of the customer's premises on account of excessive water bills, or upon the request of the customer, or for any other reason, no further inspections may be made for a period of six months, except as ordered by the public works director. Additional inspections will be charged on a per-hour-labor basis according to the fees set by resolution of the city council.
(Prior code § 14-162; Ord. 12-12 § 1)
If a customer uses water for which no bill has been issued, the water department shall install a meter and determine an average bill for a period of 12 months last past or for as much of the past 12 months as the consumer has been occupying or in possession of the premises without paying bills.
(Prior code § 14-153; Ord. 12-12 § 1)