At their regular city council meeting Monday, the Hopkins City Council voted to adopt a new water ordinance concerning charges, deposits, past-due accounts, delinquent accounts, and partial payments.
For residential users, customers will be charged for $50 per month minimum for the first 1,000 gallons of water. For each additional 1,000 gallons, users will be charged $20 per month. A sewer charge will be charged $30 per month minimum for the first 1,000 gallons or less of water used and 70% of the amount of water used over 1,000 gallons for all customers with sewer hookups.
For commercial users, customers will be charged $40 per month minimum for the first 1,000 gallons, followed by a charge of $20 for each additional 1,000 gallons. A sewer charge of a minimum of $30 per month for the first 1,000 gallons or less of water will be charged, plus 70% of the amount of water used over 1,000 gallons for all customers with sewer hookups.
For users outside the city limits, there will be a charge of $55 per 1,000 gallons minimum. For all over 1,000 gallons, there will be a charge of $35 for each 1,000 gallons or fraction thereof.
All bills will be due monthly and subject to Missouri Sales Tax.
If any bill for water and wastewater services becomes past due for 30 days, service to such customers shall be disconnected, and shall not be reconnected until all past due bills are paid in full, together with a reconnection charge of $30.
All applications by new customers for water and sewer services shall be accompanied by a $300 deposit, which will be refunded when the final bill is settled. If an existing customer moves from one residence to another within the city, the deposit will be transferred, so long as the bill at the previous residence is paid in full.
Any new water connections will be charged as an installation fee, the actual cost of the meter well, lid and ring, meter and readout, loop, shutoff valve, backflow device, and all pipes and fittings. The city will provide the line to the owner or occupant providing it is less than 50 feet; in the event it is more than 50 feet, the council will have the option of charging the remaining footage to the user.
In the event of a large water leak, the council, at its discretion, will offer a flexible payment plan. In the event of negligence or malfunction resulting in leakage of water, the user shall be responsible for making repairs. In the event repairs are not made, the city has the right to shut off water and bill the user for any expense the city incurred in the repair of its water lines.
If the user is not receiving city water service, either by having his own water system or by having the water shut off, but they are connected to the city sewer system, the user is still obligated to pay the minimum sewer fee. The council can waive the fee is the sewer hookup is not in use and has been properly capped to the satisfaction of the board.
The city shall have the right to sue the occupent and/or owner, or both, for the cost of the bill plus a reasonable attorney's fee in the event of nonpayment.
The user shall be responsible for the maintenance and repair of their water line from their property line in, and for such maintenance and repair of the sewer line from the street edge line in.
All utility service statements shall be due and payable in full on or before the 20th day of the month following the date on which the statement was mailed. Bills not paid on or before the 20th of the month shall be deemed past due, with delinquency fees applied between the 25th and the last day of the month. There will be a $5 late fee on past due water bills and a $5 late fee on past due sewer bills. The city shall assess a finance fee equal to 20% of the portion of any utility service bill becoming past due.
After a bill is declared past due, if a bill is still not paid, it will become delinquent on the first of the month. The city shall then commence notification to the customer of the city's intent to disconnect utility service to the customer. Notice will be sent at least ten days prior to shutoff by mail indicating total amount due on accounts that are overdue by 30 days or more.
Once water service is shut off, then full amount due must be paid before water service can be turned back on. Water service will be turned back on only during regular business hours of 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and someone must be present at the residence. A $30 reconnect fee will be charged and collected at the time the water service is turned back on.
If a customer makes a partial payment on a utility service account, it shall first be credited against any past due or delinquent utility service balance.
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