§ 26-20. Application deposit.
(a)
Any person desiring to obtain water service from the city shall file an application in the utility customer service division of the public works department. Before such service is connected, the person desiring the service shall deposit with the city a reasonable sum of money to secure the payment of the water bills incurred by such person, with the amount of the deposit to be determined by the city manager or his designee, on the basis of the probable amount of water to be used by the person at the location for which the application is made. The city manager or his designee shall establish rules and regulations setting forth the applicable criteria to be observed when computing the amount of the deposit and may establish minimum amounts for the deposits. The city manager or his designee shall be solely responsible for establishing criteria for determining when and if a water account is overdue and for establishing criteria for when the amount of the deposit is to be applied against any one (1) water account and when water service is to be terminated for no payment or any other lawful reason. This requirement for payment of a deposit for residential receipt of water service from the city is subject to the exception contained in subsection (c) of this section if the applicable criteria are met. In no event shall water service be renewed to such person until:
(1)
The person has paid to the city all that was due to the city on the pervious water account; and
(2)
A new deposit is made as required under the terms of this section.
(b)
In addition to the deposit, a fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) shall be charged for the connection of new water service. The city manager or his designee shall establish criteria for the time and manner of collection of the service activation fee. A transfer fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) shall be paid when a person moves his water service from one (1) location in the city to another location within the city and shall be collected in the manner set forth by the city manager or his designee.
(c)
The city manager or his designee may waive the security deposit requirement for single-family residential accounts if the applicant has a documented history of acceptable performance on existing or previous water service provided by the city. The term acceptable performance as used in this section shall mean that the person either has or had an active water account with the city for a period of at least eighteen (18) months after the first of October, 1990, and during that period the person had neither:
(1)
Any checks or electronic debits that were dishonored by the person's bank; nor
(2)
More than two (2) notices of delinquency during that period; nor
(3)
His water service suspended for nonpayment or any other lawful reason.
(d)
The city manager or his designee may, at his sole discretion, refund water service deposits collected pursuant to this section to persons receiving water service for single-family residential accounts upon completion of a period of acceptable.
(Code 1964, § 35.1; Ord. No. 3861, § 3, 9-24-85; Ord. No. 4048, § 3, 9-23-86; Ord. No. 4410, § 1, 9-20-88; Ord. No. 4748, § 1, 9-18-90; Ord. No. 7249, § 1, 9-6-05)