The following procedures regarding delinquent accounts shall apply only with respect to accounts within the City of Trenton. The Division of Water and Sewer shall follow the procedures required by the Board of Public Utilities for accounts outside the City.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
CUSTOMER
The person or entity who has contracted for water and sewer services or, in the absence of such a contract, the owner or owners of the premises being serviced.
DELINQUENT ACCOUNT
An account for which the total amount due for water and sewer has not been paid within 40 days after billing.
OCCUPANT
A person to whom an owner has yielded possession of property, or a dwelling unit, and includes tenants.
Unpaid charges for water and sewer services rendered after October 1, 1989, shall bear interest at the same rates applicable to delinquent real property taxes, beginning on the date that the account becomes delinquent.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
A. 
Except as provided below, the Division of Water and Sewer shall have the right to discontinue service to premises with delinquent accounts upon reasonable notice.
B. 
The Division of Water and Sewer shall not discontinue water service under the following circumstances:
(1) 
The bill is in dispute and the customer or occupant has requested a hearing and made payment of the undisputed portion of the bill pursuant to § 309-62.
(2) 
The customer or occupant has entered into a deferred payment agreement pursuant to § 309-63.
(3) 
The occupants are residential tenants who have entered into a payment agreement pursuant to § 309-64.
(4) 
The customer or occupant is in bankruptcy and has furnished adequate assurance of payment for future services pursuant to § 309-65.
(5) 
A medical emergency exists, as defined in § 309-66.
A. 
Time. The Division of Water and Sewer shall give at least seven days' written notice of its intention to discontinue services. The notice may be served any time after the account becomes delinquent.
B. 
Service of notice.
(1) 
Persons to be served. The Division of Water and Sewer shall serve the notice of termination on the account customer. In addition, the Division of Water and Sewer shall annually notify all residential customers that, upon request, notice of discontinuance of service will be sent to a designated third party as well as to the customer. Where the account customer has an address different from the address of the premises being serviced, the notice shall also be sent to the occupant of the premises.
(2) 
Manner of service. The notice of termination shall be sent by regular mail. In addition, the Division of Water and Sewer shall make a good faith effort to determine which of its residential customers are over 65 years of age, and shall make a good faith effort to notify such customers of discontinuance by telephone, in addition to notice by regular mail.
C. 
Contents of discontinuance notice. On all notices of discontinuance there shall be included:
(1) 
A clear statement of the amount believed to be in arrears.
(2) 
A statement that water service shall be terminated on or after a specified date, which shall in no event be less than seven days from the date of the posting of such notice.
(3) 
A statement that if the customer or occupant is presently unable to pay an outstanding bill, the customer or occupant may contact the Division of Water and Sewer to discuss the possibility of entering into a reasonable deferred payment agreement.
(4) 
A statement that if the customer or occupant wishes to contest a bill or the proposed termination of services, (s)he is entitled to a hearing prior to termination of services. The Division of Water and Sewer may require the customer or occupant to file a written request for a hearing on forms to be prescribed by the Division.
(5) 
The address and telephone number of the Division.
A. 
The Division of Water and Sewer shall not discontinue service in cases where a charge is in dispute, provided that the customer or occupant files a request for a hearing and the undisputed charges are paid at or prior to the hearing.
B. 
When a bill is in dispute and a request is made to the Division of Water and Sewer for a hearing, the days allowed for net billing shall begin at the date of receipt of the ruling or determination.
A. 
Whenever a customer or occupant advises the Division of Water and Sewer prior to the date of a proposed discontinuance for nonpayment that (s)he wishes to discuss a deferred payment agreement because (s)he is presently unable to pay a total outstanding bill, the Division of Water and Sewer shall make a good faith effort to enter into a reasonable deferred payment agreement.
B. 
While a deferred payment agreement need not be entered into more than once per year, the Division of Water and Sewer may offer more than one agreement in a year.
C. 
If a customer or occupant defaults on any of the terms of the agreement, the Division of Water and Sewer may discontinue service after providing the customer with a notice of discontinuance pursuant to § 309-62.
A. 
The Division of Water and Sewer shall make every reasonable attempt to determine when a landlord-tenant relationship exists at residential premises being serviced.
B. 
If such a relationship exists, discontinuance of service is prohibited unless:
(1) 
The Division of Water and Sewer has posted notice of discontinuance in the common areas of multiple-family premises and, where possible, has given individual notice to occupants of single- and two-family dwellings; and
(2) 
The Division of Water and Sewer has offered the tenant or tenants continued service to be billed to the tenants. The Division of Water and Sewer shall require the tenant or tenants to pay bills for future services, and shall require the tenant or tenants to enter into a deferred payment plan which would be sufficient to bring the account current within one year.
(3) 
The amount to be paid by any tenant shall not exceed the amount of that tenant's monthly rent.
(4) 
The Division of Water and Sewer shall not be required to continue service to a tenant or tenants where such billing is not reasonably feasible.
(5) 
The Division of Water and Sewer shall not be held to the requirements of this section if the existence of a landlord-tenant relationship could not be reasonably ascertained or where the tenant or tenants are the account customers.
A. 
Except as provided in Subsection B below, the Division of Water and Sewer shall not refuse or discontinue service to a customer who has filed for bankruptcy solely on the basis that a bill for services rendered before the order for relief was not paid when due.
B. 
The Division of Water and Sewer may refuse or discontinue service to a customer who has filed for bankruptcy if neither the trustee nor the customer, within 20 days of the order for relief, furnishes adequate assurance of payment in the form of a deposit or other security for service after such date.
A. 
Discontinuance of residential service for nonpayment is prohibited if a medical emergency exists within the premises which would be aggravated by the discontinuance of service and the customer or occupant gives reasonable proof of inability to pay.
B. 
Discontinuance shall be prohibited for a period of up to two months when a customer submits a physician's statement, in writing, to the Division of Water and Sewer as to the existence of the emergency, its nature and probable duration, and that termination of water service will aggravate the medical emergency.
C. 
Recertification by the physician as to continuance of the medical emergency shall be submitted to the Division of Water and Sewer after 30 days. However, at the end of such period of emergency, the customer or occupant shall still remain liable for payment for services rendered.
D. 
The General Superintendent of the Division of Water and Sewer may extend the sixty-day period for good cause.
E. 
The Division of Water and Sewer, in its discretion, may delay discontinuance of residential water service for nonpayment prior to submission of the physician's statement required by this section when a medical emergency is known to exist.
The Division of Water and Sewer may not discontinue service for nonpayment on Saturday, Sunday or a holiday on which the Division of Water and Sewer's offices are closed, or after 1:00 p.m. of the business day prior to a weekend or holiday.
A. 
Service shall be restored upon proper application when the conditions under which service was discontinued are corrected and upon payment of all proper charges due, including interest and a reconnection fee of $50.
B. 
In addition to a payment of all charges due, the Division of Water and Sewer shall require the customer, as a condition of restoration of service, to make or establish over a period of payments a deposit equal to the amount due for the past two quarters. Such deposit shall be maintained to secure prompt payment for future billings.
No owner or occupant of any premises whose water services have been discontinued by the Division of Water and Sewer shall knowingly cause or permit the reconnection of such service without the approval of the Division of Water and Sewer. Any person violating the provisions of this section, upon conviction, shall be subject to the penalties set forth in Chapter 1, Article III, General Penalty, of the Code of the City of Trenton.
[Amended 2-5-2004 by Ord. No. 04-6]
A. 
A customer disputing a bill shall notify the Director of Water, in writing, that the billing is being disputed and provide all evidence and information relevant to the dispute.
B. 
The Director shall then review the case, make a determination and respond to the customer in writing.
C. 
Should the Director or the customer request an informal meeting, the date, time and place of the meeting shall be arranged.