§ 52-8. Due date and discontinuance of service.
(a)
Due date. All bills for water, sewer, garbage, and other services are due and must be received by the City of Irving, Customer Service Office, before 5:00 p.m. on the due date shown on the bill. The due date is defined as the date shown on the bill and is fifteen (15) days from the date bills were mailed.
(b)
Penalty. Bills not paid by the due date will be assessed a penalty of ten (10) percent of the total past due balance.
(c)
Discontinuance of service.
(1)
The city may discontinue service to any customer with a bill for water, sewer, garbage, or other services which has remained unpaid for thirty (30) days or more past the due date.
(2)
The city may discontinue service to any customer whose bill includes a deposit and has an unpaid balance on the deposit on the day following the due date as stated on the monthly bill.
(3)
Service will not be discontinued on a day or the day before a day when personnel are not available to the public for the purpose of making collections and reconnecting service, unless the customer requests immediate disconnection or a dangerous condition exists which requires an immediate disconnection.
(d)
Unless ineligible to receive a certificate of occupancy, service will be resumed to any person, firm, corporation, or customer whose service has been discontinued upon payment of the overdue bill, plus the ten (10) percent penalty, plus payment of the applicable deposit, plus an additional amount to recover the cost of disconnecting and resuming service as follows:
(1)
Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) if balance of account is not paid in full by 5:00 p.m. the day before the cut off date noted on the bill.
(2)
Fifty dollars ($50.00) for each field contact related to the nonpayment of services resulting in locking the meter or the removal of the meter or any unauthorized device being used to obtain water illegally.
(3)
Additional charges equal to the cost of parts and labor will be assessed to a customer for damage to the meter, locking device, and/or connection resulting from an attempt to reconnect water service by anyone other than a city employee.
(4)
Fifty dollars ($50.00) for a request to resume services outside of normal operating hours, to be paid prior to reconnection of service or shall be added to the customer's account.
(5)
Fifteen dollars ($15.00) for each attempt, in excess of two (2), to reconnect services shall be added to the customer's account.
(e)
Additional charges may be assessed as part of the city's attempts to recover charges and penalties due. These charges are as follows:
(1)
Fourteen dollars ($14.00) for each nonfield contact initiated by city personnel related to the nonpayment of services including the mailing of both certified and noncertified letters and the posting of notification of scheduled disconnect for nonpayment.
(2)
One hundred sixty dollars ($160.00) for costs associated with recording notices of lien for delinquent utility services as provided for in section 41-11.
(3)
Thirty-six dollars ($36.00) for costs associated with recording a release of lien upon recovery of delinquent charges and penalties.
(4)
Penalties or fees associated with the recovery of utility bill charges through the service of a collection agency employed by the city.
(5)
Resident displacement fees of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per unit for each unit affected by a discontinuance of water service for nonpayment and which is occupied on the date the service is discontinued. Such fees shall be waived for each unit where the residents did not move out provided the building inspector affirms in writing, within forty-eight (48) hours of the discontinuance, that the multi-family complex has been brought up to code and is eligible to receive a certificate of occupancy.
(Ord. No. 4211, § 1, 9-22-83; Ord. No. 4770, § 2, 9-26-85; Ord. No. 5485, § 6, 9-22-88; Ord. No. 6014, § 4, 9-26-91; Ord. No. 6321, § 3, 9-9-93; Ord. No. 8259, § 6, 9-22-05; Ord. No. 8796, § 6, 5-3-07; Ord. No. 8841, §§ 2, 3, 8-2-07; Ord. No. 2008-8976, § 4, 9-18-08; Ord. No. 2009-9126, §§ 2—4, 10-22-09)
Cross reference
Mandatory payment for garbage service, § 33-16.