Chapter 13.04
WATER REGULATIONS
Sections:
13.04.010 Application – Filing required.
13.04.020 Use restricted to that stated in application.
13.04.030 Restrictions on permit approval.
13.04.040 Water connection costs.
13.04.050 Large meters – Installation and repair costs.
13.04.070 Utility accounts – Billing and payment.
13.04.085 Water meter check – Fee.
13.04.090 Discontinuance of use – rebate.
13.04.130 Use without contract – Penalty.
13.04.140 Shutoff for non-compliance.
Prior legislation: Ords. 576 and 584.
13.04.010 Application – Filing required.
Applications for the use of water by all persons, firms or corporations must be made on printed forms to be furnished by the director of public works, and filed with the director of public works’ office, and the applicant must state fully and truly all of the purposes for which the water may be required, and must agree to conform to the established rules and regulations as a condition for the use of the water. (Ord. 733 §1, 1995; Ord. 306 §1, 1921).
13.04.020 Use restricted to that stated in application.
No person supplied with water from the city mains will be entitled to use it for any other purposes than those stated in his application, or to supply in any other way any other person or family.
Should the owner or occupant of the premises require additional facilities not included in the original application, a new application must be made and a permit obtained as in original cases. (Ord. 306 §2, 1921).
13.04.030 Restrictions on permit approval.
The city shall consider making connection to the city system for new construction or reconstruction if the property fronts on or is within two hundred feet of an existing city distribution line. Connections at a distance of greater than two hundred feet shell be considered as a development and shall meet the requirements of PMC 13.04.150. The city may refuse to issue such a permit or refuse to connect any premises to its pipe lines or refuse to deliver water to any customer if by doing so it will endanger the efficiency of the city’s service or property. (Ord. 701, 1993; Ord. 653 §2 (part), 1986).
13.04.040 Water connection costs.
All costs and expense incidental to the installation and connection of the water line shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the water line. Following installation, the owner shall bear all cost of maintaining and repairing the water line to the owner property line. Upon approval of the application by the city, the director of public works will compute the cost of connection to the city main which shall include materials, labor, and machine costs, but not a three-quarter inch meter, and notify applicant of such cost. For the year 2000, such cost and a connection fee of $627.30 shall be paid in advance of the connection being made. For the year 2001 and each year thereafter, the rate shall increase by the most recent National Average Consumer Price Index – Urban increase for the previous year rounded to the nearest one cent. Upon payment of the cost and fee, the director of public works will proceed to make, or have made, the installation of the meter box, meter, shut off valve, and necessary connection with the city main, and will make a record in a book provided for the purpose of the location of the point of attachment with the main, and of the service cutoff valve. The city may refuse to issue such a permit or refuse to connect any premises to its pipe lines or refuse to deliver water to any [potential] customer if by doing so it will endanger the efficiency of the city’s service or property; or to enlarge any lines, already in use, for the benefit of a proposed consumer except upon an advance payment of such consumer of such part of the construction cost, including labor, as the city may require, not to exceed the entire cost. (Ord. 767, 1999; Ord. 750 §1, 1997; Ord. 733 §2, 1995; Ord. 701, 1993; Ord. 653 §2, 1986).
13.04.050 Large meters – Installation and repair costs.
A. Applicants applying for service for greater than a three-quarter-inch meter shall, in addition, pay the actual cost of the larger meter after deducting the then current cost of a three-quarter-inch meter.
B. Repairs or replacement required for water meters larger than three-quarter-inch shall be responsibility of the owner. In the event of rebuilding, the rebuilding cost to the owner will only be the cost which is in excess of the then current cost of rebuilding a three-quarter-inch meter. The city will be responsible for removing and reinstalling any meter which is repaired or replaced. (Ord. 701, 1993; 649 §§2, 3, 1985).
13.04.060 Service pipes.
Service pipes must be so arranged that the supply for each house or premises may be controlled by a separate stopcock placed within the line of the street curb, and one person must be held responsible for the payment for all water used through this service pipe by himself or others to whom the supply is accessible; provided, that where more than one residence or more than one family is supplied through the same service pipe, the council may require the service to be metered. (Ord. 306 §6, 1921).
13.04.070 Utility accounts – Billing and payment.
All utility accounts shall be kept on the books of the city in the name of the owner, and all charges shall be billed to and be the responsibility of the property owner. All bills are payable within fifteen days from the billing date, and a finance charge at the highest legal rate will be added for accounts which are ninety days past due. If utility bills are not paid within the stated period, the water can and may be shut off. Water will be turned on after payment of the fees due, to date, in addition to the charge for the reconnection of service. Flat rates are payable in advance.
If there is no response received to the mailed final notice of the account delinquency within five business days, a tag for disconnect shall be delivered to the service address of the utility consumer giving a forty-eight-hour advance notice of the pending disconnection for said service address. A fee for this disconnection notice shall be assessed to this service address in the amount of ten dollars ($10.00). (Ord. 893 §1, 2017; Ord. 653 §1, 1986).
13.04.080 Meter regulations.
The water department may at any time attach a meter to any service that, in the opinion of the water committee, should pay meter rates, and may charge for the quantity shown at meter rates, provided that the charge so obtained shall not be less than the flat rate. Meters may used without notice for the detection of waste.
Any consumer of water may make application to be supplied at meter rates, and the water department shall, as soon as practicable thereafter attach a meter to such service, and the cost of the meter and of the attaching thereof shall become a charge against the property, and twenty-five percent of such charge shall be added to each of the four following quarterly deposits. Water shall thereafter be furnished that service at meter rates, and all restrictions regarding manner of use, or hours of use removed; provided that in case the city is districted for irrigation purposes, meter users will be restricted to the days provided for their district.
Consumers of water through a meter shall keep the premises adjacent to the meter box free from rubbish, or material of any kind that might prevent free access to the meter, and shall take every reasonable precaution to protect the meter from damage or injury by frost or otherwise, and shall be liable to injury to meters from their neglect.
When a meter gets out of order, water shall be charged for in accordance with the average of previous readings, of a similar yearly period if obtainable, but not less than flat rates. (Ord. 306 §14, 1921).
13.04.085 Water meter check – Fee.
Any water user who desires to have a reading or a check of their water meter shall pay a fee as set by resolution of the city. After the city performs the reading or check of the meter, the fee will be refunded or credited to the user's account; provided, that the city was in error on a previous reading or that the meter is defective. Otherwise, the fee shall be retained by the city. (Ord. 886 §7, 2016; Ord. 733 §3, 1995; Ord. 658, 1987).
13.04.090 Discontinuance of use – rebate.
Should it be desired to discontinue the whole or any part of the use of water under the permit granted as set forth in PMC 13.04.030, for a period of not less than fifteen days, written notice must be given the water commissioner of the desire for such discontinuance, who, if he considers the conditions just and proper, will present to the council an application for a proportionate rebate of the water charges. (Ord. 306 §4, 1921).
13.04.100 Rate – Schedule.
The following schedule of rates for use of water from the waterworks system of the city is established and such rates shall be collected quarterly, in advance, for all water furnished from such waterworks system. The rate schedule for water shall be established by the council by resolution or minute entry and shall be listed on a schedule kept on file at all times in the office of the city clerk/treasurer and city clerk/treasurer. The rate schedule may be added to or changed without necessity of amending the ordinance codified in this chapter, and shall be the effective rate schedule for water rate charges thereafter.
For the year 2001 and each year thereafter, the rate shall increase by the most recent National Average Consumer Price Index–Urban increase for the previous year. The rate for that year shall be rounded to the nearest amount which when divided by three yields a resultant of a multiple of twenty-five cents.
[Annotation: Minimum per quarter rate is $129.00 for the year 2022].
The foregoing minimum rate shall include thirty thousand gallons of water regardless of the size of the service connection.
For all water used for the quarter in excess of thirty thousand gallons, the rate shall be $1.70 per one thousand gallons for the year 2022. For the year 2001 and each year thereafter, the rate shall increase by the most recent National Average Consumer Price Index–Urban increase for the previous year rounded to the nearest one cent.
For all water service outside the limits of the city, there shall be a charge of one and one-half times the aforementioned rates for water service within the city. (Ord. 923 §§1, 3, 2021; Ord. 916 §1, 2020; Ord. 905 §1, 2018; Ord. 882 §1, 2015; Ord. 875 §§1, 2, 2014; Ord. 870 §1, 2013; Ord. 866 §1, 2012; Ord. 861 §1, 2011; Ord. 854 §2, 2010; Ord. 798 §§1-2, 2003; Ord. 770 §§2-3, 1999; Ord. 649, 1985; Ord. 596, 1978; Ord. 588 §1, 1977).
Annotation: With Resolution 94-6, as amended by Ordinance 923, the city council resolved that water may be sold in bulk quantities to applicants for $5.00 per 1,000 gallons upon coordination with the city water department.
With Ordinance 923, the city council resolved that the city will charge $20.00 for both turning on and turning off water service. “Snowbirds” and vacant homes or businesses will begin being billed at the rate of 25 percent of the current rate to support the water and sewer systems.
13.04.110 Rate – Payment.
All water charges shall be due and payable on the first day of each quarter. The minimum charge shall be paid at the time of the service connection or at the beginning of each quarter, in advance, and at the end of each quarter, the charge shall include the minimum for the next quarter plus any amount owing for use of water in the past quarter in excess of the minimum of thirty thousand gallons. (Ord. 588 §2, 1977).
13.04.120 Permit issuance.
Upon approval of the application by the city, the director of public works will compute the cost of connection to the city main, which shall include materials and machine costs, but not labor, and notify applicant of such cost. Such cost shall be paid in advance of the connection being made. Upon payment of the cost, the clerk/treasurer will notify the director of public works, who will proceed to make, or have made, the necessary connection with the city main, and will make a record in book provided for the purpose of the location of the point of attachment with the main, and of the service cutoff valve. The city may refuse to issue such a permit or refuse to connect any premises to its pipe lines or refuse to deliver water to any customer if by doing so it will endanger the efficiency of the city’s service or property; or to enlarge any lines, already in use, for the benefit of a proposed consumer except upon an advance payment of such consumer of such part of the construction cost, including labor, as the city may require, not to exceed the entire cost. (Ord. 653 §2, 1986).
13.04.130 Use without contract – Penalty.
Any person who shall take or use water from the city mains without having previously contracted therefor or during such time as water has been shut off for noncompliance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. (Ord. 653 §3, 1986).
13.04.140 Shutoff for non-compliance.
Failure to comply with the rules and regulations concerning the use of water shall be punishable by turning the water off, and the water will not again be turned on until the penalties provided have been paid and past due water charges have been paid or provision for payment acceptable to the city been made, together with a further charge of $20.00 for turning on the water. Unauthorized turning on of water or connection or bypassing in order to obtain water from city mains will be punishable as provided by law and the city may remove meters, disconnect unapproved or turned off connections, and do such other action as is necessary for the prevention of unauthorized use of water supplied by the city utility system. Such meter removal and/or disconnection will require refiling of an application for water and payment of connection costs, including labor, before water will again be supplied to the user. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the city from taking other action for the collection of penalties or past due water charges. (Ord. 653 §4, 1986).
13.04.150 Developments.
A. The extension and supply of water service to new developments within or without the city shall be approved only by proper application to the city by the developer. Approval shall be granted only upon approval of plans and specifications by both the city and appropriate state agencies. Cost of development, plans, engineering and construction shall be borne by the developer.
B. The developer may apply to have the developed water distribution extension accepted by the city for city ownership and future maintenance after completion. Such application must be made in a timely manner such that the construction may be inspected and approved by the city water department before the construction is covered. Such construction must meet all applicable local, state, and federal codes, standards, and regulations. (Ord. 701, 1993; Ord. 653 §5, 1986).