05-E Water-Sewer Rate Ord - Laserfiche WebLink

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BACKGOUND INFORMATION WORDING CHANGES & ADDITIONS WATER & SEWER ORDINANCES The following recommendations are requested to improve the efficiency of operations or formalize practices that have been done administratively for many years. A brief explanation of each item is given below. Section 34-29 (a) proposes a$5.00 delinquency fee for accounts that are still delinquent 21 days past the billing date. The goal is to encourage people to make utility payments prior to having their service discontinued for non-payment which occurs 21 days past the billing date. Cutoff days require two or three people all day to complete depending on the size of the list. With the two meter readers are reading routes or on vacation, I am forced to borrow employees from Public Works. This disrupts their operations. Such a delinquency fee is common practice with other cities. Section 34-30 changes the word "reconnection" to "service". When service is disconnected for non-payment, a tag is placed on the door notifying the resident that service has been discontinued, states the amount of delinquency, and informs them that a $10.00 reconnect fee will be charged. What happens is that a person finds this notice, turns their water service back on, and then claims that the City did not actually cut their water off. They argue that they should not have to pay a"reconnection" fee. By changing the wording, I hope to eliminate such attempts to avoid paying a fee that is rightfully due. Section 34-31 formalizes three administrative practices that have been around for over 30 years. I have people from time to time wish to see the procedure in writing and this will give the practices some formal status. All three procedures have been allowed as a convenience to citizens who temporarily need water service but do not wish to go through the formal process of putting up a water deposit or sometimes a second water deposit.