HomeMy WebLinkAbout2649 Amends 14.02 UT Customer Accounting PoliciesAN ORDINANCE'AMENDING CHAPTER 14.02 OF THE ASHLAND
MUNICIPAL CODE RELATIVE TO UTILITY SYSTEMS--CUSTOMER
ACCOUNTING POLICIES.
SECTION 1. Section 14.02.010 of the Ashland Municipal Code is
hereby amended to read as follows:
"14.02.010 Service - Application.
A. Initial Application.
1. Any person, firm or corporation desiring electric, water,
and/or sewer service from the City must make application in writing on
blanks provided therefor by the City, or by letter, and agree to abide
by the rates, rules and regulations of the city.
2. The applicant must sign the form provided by the City, or
send in by letter, and furnish the following information, if
applicable:
a. Date of application.
b. Name of applicant.
c. Name of third party, if desired, who is designated by
applicant to receive notice of termination.
d. Address of premises to be served.
e. Applicant's mailing address where bills are to be sent.
f. Date applicant desires initiation of service.
g. Purposes for which service is to be used.
h. Previous service address of the applicant within the
City, if any.
i. A deposit or a letter of credit to establish credit of
applicant as specified in Section 14.02.020.
j. Applications processing fee in the amount of ten dollars
($10.00).
k. Such other information as the city may reasonably
require.
B. Subsequent Applications. A current customer of the City of
Ashland may connect utility service at a new location by telephone, if
their account is current and their credit history shows no more than
one (1) delinquency.
C. The application is merely a request for service and does not in
itself bind the City to serve except under reasonable conditions, nor
does it bind the customer to take service; but if the service is
connected, the customer will be required to pay monthly minimum
charges according to the applicable rate.
D. No application for electric, water and/or sewer service shall be
accepted, or no new service shall be furnished and person, firm or
corporation who have any bill, fee or charge which has been due to the
City for a period of thirty (30) days or more, until such bill, fee or
charge has been paid in full."
SECTION 2. Section 14.02.020 of the Ashland Municipal Code shall be
amended to read as follows:
"14.02.020 Establishment of Credit.
A. A customer shall establish credit with the City by depositing an
amount equal to one and one-half (1 1/2) times the average monthly
bill for the service address, rounded to the nearest five dollars.
For new services, the Utility Services Division shall estimate the
average monthly bill. A third party, other than the customer, may be
permitted to post the required deposit, in which case the customer
shall be deemed to have established credit as hereinafter provided.
After a satisfactory payment record of ten (10) consecutive months
with no more than one (1) delinquency, the deposit shall be refunded
to the person who posted the deposit.
B. A customer may establish credit by providing a Letter of Credit
from another utility company, which provided the customer's heat
source for a minimum of ten (10) consecutive months within the last
year. The Letter of Credit from the utility company must furnish the
following information:
1. Address (or addresses) served by the utility for this
customer.
2. Length, type (residential/commercial), and time period at
above location(s).
3. Number of past due mailer notices in the last year.
C. A customer to whom a deposit has been refunded, or to whom a
Letter of Credit was accepted in lieu of a deposit, and who becomes
delinquent may be required to reestablish credit by making a new
deposit as specified in Section 14.02.020 A. Residential and com-
mercial credit shall be established separately and credit for one type
of service will not be used as credit reference for the other type of
service. Once a customer has established credit, a deposit will not
be required for additional locations as long as good credit is
maintained. The City shall not terminate residential accounts solely
for failure to re-establish credit under subsection 14.02.020 C."
SECTION 3. Section 14.02.110 of the Ashland Municipal Code shall be
amended to read as follows:
"14.02.110 Requirements for Restoration of Service. Except as
provided in Section 14.02.090 during the pendency of an appeal, if a
residential customer's service has been properly terminated under the
above policies, the City shall not be required to restore or provide
service at the same or any other location at which the customer
resides without payment in full of any overdue amounts, together with
any deposits and reconnection charges authorized in this Section. If
service has been disconnected for nonpayment, a reconnection charge as
specified by Resolution will be paid with the delinquent account if
the reconnection is requested to be made during regular working hours
of the Electric Department; or an after hours charge as specified by
Resolution during other hours or on weekends or Holidays, before
service is restored. Any customer not having a current deposit whose
service has been disconnected for nonpayment will be regarded as a new
customer, and a new deposit shall be required before service is
restored."
The foregoing Ordinance was first read by title only in accordance
with Article X, Section 2(C) of the City Charter on the 1st day of
October, 1991, and duly PASSED and ADOPTED this /~day October, 1991.
Nan E./Franklin
City Recorder
SIGNED and APPROVED this .,~I'~-';~ day of
[Catherine M. Golden
Mayor
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