§ 28-03-060. Billing procedure.

(a)

Water bills shall be prepared and posted on a cycle billing system, whereby each water user is billed each thirty (30) days for water provided such user in the preceding thirty-day period.

(1)

The city manager is authorized to develop and promulgate such policies and procedures to allow for a "budget billing" cycle whereby qualified owner occupied residential water users are billed a fixed monthly charge for customer charge and consumption charge for a defined period.

(b)

Payment is due and payable fifteen (15) calendar days from the billing date, and is considered delinquent if not paid within ten (10) calendar days from the due date. A final cut off notice will be mailed on the twenty-fifth calendar day from the billing date stating services will be disconnected in five (5) calendar days if the bill is not paid in full.

(1)

For purposes of this section due dates, notice dates and cut off dates falling on a weekend or city observed holiday will automatically be extended to the next city business day.

(c)

If the payment for water, sewer or residential garbage collection fees, or any combined billing, is not made within thirty (30) calendar days from the due date, the water service shall be cut off and shall not again be supplied to the person liable for the payment until the total bill, with interest, penalties and reconnect fee, have been fully paid.

(d)

The cut off/turn on fee for water service shall be established by the city commission. This charge is for the labor of turning off and turning on water service and is exclusive of any city commission approved processing fee for delinquent accounts.

(e)

Any unpaid charge for water, sewer or garbage collection services is a lien upon the property served by such services and is superior to all other liens except general property taxes and those liens given priority equal to that of general property taxes, unless the owner has filed a city notarized form releasing owner of responsibility. This document must be filed with the city utility billing and legal departments at the time the tenant applies for utility services. This form cannot be retroactive. If a property owner files this form, the deposit for the tenant shall be as provided by ordinance.

(Code 1960, § 9-9-5; Ord. No. 514, 5-14-74; Ord. No. 674, § 1, 4-24-84; Ord. No. 913, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 939, 3-13-95; Ord. No. 972, 4-9-96; Ord. No. 1010, 4-19-97; Ord. No. 1027, § 1, 1-13-98; Ord. No. 1034, 6-9-98; Ord. No. 1129, § 1, 12-11-01; Ord. No. 1506 , § 8, 12-15-15)