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CHAPTER 14.07 ACCOUNTS SECTION: 14.07.010: General Application 14.07.020: Application From Outside City Limits 14.07.030: New Account Servicing Fee 14.07.040: Deposit Schedule 14.07.050: Deposit Return Procedure 14.07.060: Payment of Bills 14.07.070: Action Against Delinquent Bills 14.07.080: Delinquent Charge - Lien 14.07.090: Payment of Unpaid Bills Required Before Connection 14.07.100: Utility Lien/Search 14.07.110: Special Water Meter Reading Fees 14.07.120: Convenience Fee for Telephone Transactions 14.07.130: Indexing of Fees and Charges 14.07.010: General Application: The Treasurer will require each prospective customer to make application for water service. Application for outside City services must be made at the office of the Treasurer. The application shall set forth the location of the premises, address to which bills shall be mailed or delivered and such information as the Treasurer may require to determine which rate shall apply, or such other information as the Treasurer may reasonably require and must be signed by the applicant. The application is merely a request for service and does not in itself bind the Treasurer to serve. Only authorized employees will turn water on, only after credit has been established. (Ord. 3619 Sec. 1, 1995: Ord. 2888 Sec. 1 (part), 1985: Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980) 14.07.020: Application from Outside City Limits: The Finance Department, in addition to the application for water service set out above, will require from all applicants residing outside the territorial limits of the City such documents as are deemed necessary to ensure that the property of the applicant, or any person claiming title through him, will be annexed to the City when it becomes reasonably contiguous. In the event that the applicant refuses to execute any document as required or attempts to impair or repudiate any document or agreement executed either by himself or a predecessor in interest, the City's duty to supply services shall cease. In the event that property reasonably contiguous to the City becomes annexed and then removed as the result of a reduction of the City limits (except when initiated by resolution) or when the proposed annexation of an area fails or is held invalid, the City's duty to provide utility service thereto shall cease. Developments or groups requesting connections to the public water systems outside the City limits shall be submitted for approval to the Director of Public Works and City Council, after completion of pre-zone condition per RCW 35A.14.330. Single hookups to the public water system may be allowed with the approval of the Public Works Director. (Ord. 2609 Sec. 5, 1981: Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980: Ord. 2247 Sec. 2, 1979: Ord. 1870 Sec. 1 (part), 1975: Ord. 843. Sec. 5 (part), 1955) 14.07 - 1 ---PAGE BREAK--- 14.07.030: New Account Servicing Fee: Residential ¾" to 1" service shall be approved upon completion of the following: A completed application form as provided in this Section. Payment of the new account servicing fee in the sum of $15.00. Submission of a satisfactory credit history may be required. For the purpose of this Chapter, a new account is any account sought by an individual, business, or as a member of a marital community not previously served, at the street address of requested service, by the City Water Department. Commercial ¾" to 6" water service shall be approved upon completion of the following: A completed application form as provided in this Section. Payment of a new account servicing fee in the sum of $15.00. Submission of a satisfactory credit history may be required. (Ord. 2888 Sec. 1 (part), 1985: Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980) 14.07.040: Deposit Schedule: The City may require a deposit for: Residential ¾" to 1" in an amount not to exceed the anticipated water and sewer service to the premises for six months; Commercial ¾" to 6" water service in an amount not to exceed the anticipated water and sewer service to the premises for six months. If the City, after review of the applicant's credit history, deems itself insecure, has evidence of unwillingness or inability to pay, or the application is for reconnection of municipal water service, the applicant must make the required cash deposit with the Water Department to secure water payments for service, and such deposit shall not bear interest. (Ord. 3182 Sec. 1, 1989: Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980: Ord. 2079 Sec. 1, 1977: Ord. 1870 Sec 1 (part), 1975: Ord. 1793 Sec. 1, 1974: Ord. 843 Sec. 5 (part), 1955) 14.07.050: Deposit Return Procedure: At the time of giving the deposit as required under the preceding schedule, the applicant for service, or customer, will be given a receipt for the same. The return of the deposit will be made upon surrender to the Water Department of the deposit receipt, properly endorsed, or upon signing a cancellation receipt for the same when the service is discontinued by the customer, except where there are charges due the Water Department for water service to the customer or for materials or labor, in which case the deposit will be applied to the charges and the excess portion, if any, of the deposit will be returned. The deposit may be returned to the applicant upon his written request for such return after the applicant has established a satisfactory credit record with the Water Department. (Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980) 14.07.060: Payment of Bills: All bills for water are due and payable or if billed due and payable at the office of the City Treasurer, on the date of mailing and shall become delinquent fifteen (15) days thereafter, except in cases where special contract arrangements in writing specify the payment date. (Ord. 2697 Sec. 1, 1982: Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980: Ord. 1870 Sec. 1 (part), 1975: Ord. 843. Sec. 5 (part), 1955) 14.07.070: Action Against Delinquent Bills: The City shall mail a notice on delinquent accounts and a fee of ten dollars ($10.00) shall be added to the account for processing the notice. Service may be discontinued to customers if in the judgment of the Finance 14.07 - 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- Department, such action is necessary to enforce collection. When the service to a customer is discontinued for nonpayment, the Finance Department will not provide the service until the account has been cleared. When an account is delinquent or disconnected, a sixty-five dollar ($65.00) delinquent fee, in addition to the amount due, will be charged. An after-hours reconnection charge of one hundred eighty-five dollars ($185.00) shall be added to the account if the customer pays a delinquent billing after 4:00 p.m. and requires restoration of services the same business day. (Ord. 5464 Sec. 1, 2012: Ord. 4013 Sec. 1, 2000: Ord. 2888 Sec. 1 (part), 1985: Ord. 2568 Sec. 1 (1981): Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980: Ord. 2262, Sec. 1, 1979: Ord. 1870 Sec. 1 (part), 1975: Ord. 843 Sec. 5 (part), 1955) 14.07.080: Delinquent Charge - Lien: All delinquent and unpaid charges for water shall be a lien against the premises to which the same are furnished. Such delinquent charge shall not exceed one hundred twenty (120) days billing, as provided by State statutes. (Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980: Ord. 1870 Sec. 1 (part), 1975: Ord. 843 Sec. 5 (part), 1955) 14.07.090: Payment of Unpaid Bills Required Before Connection: An applicant who has been a customer of the Water Department at the premises or at some other premises than those specified in the application and who still owes the Water Department for unpaid bills for materials, labor or water, shall be required to pay all outstanding bills and may be required to establish his credit as provided under the foregoing deposit schedule in Section 14.07.040 before any connection for service is made. Service will be denied to anyone who uses any subterfuge whatsoever to avoid payment for service. (Ord. 2481 Sec. 2 (part), 1980: Ord. 1870, Sec. 1 (part) 1975: Ord. 843 Sec. 5 (part), 1955) 14.07.100: Utility Lien/Search: The City will provide, upon request from customers or their agents, utility and lien searches and will provide electronically or manually the final billing information relating to property transactions occurring in Kennewick or utilities managed by Kennewick outside the City to those customers or agents. A twenty dollar ($20.00) special service fee will be charged for providing this information. (Ord. 5208 Sec. 2, 2007) 14.07.110: Special Water Meter Reading Fees: A person, company or corporation, or their agent may request a special water meter reading. The City will provide, upon request from customers or their agents, a special meter reading. A thirty dollar ($30.00) special service fee will be charged for this service. (Ord. 5208 Sec. 3, 2007) 14.07.120: Convenience Fee for Telephone Transactions: Credit card utility payments that are required to be processed manually, via the telephone, will only be processed at staff discretion and will be charged a convenience fee of seven dollars A third party vendor convenience fee will be charged for automated telephone payments. (Ord. 5589 Sec. 1, 2015: Ord. 5208 Sec. 4, 2007) 14.07.130: Indexing of Fees and Charges: The fees and charges for delinquent accounts set out in Sections 14.07.070 and 14.07.110 shall be indexed annually by the Treasurer to reflect one hundred percent (100%) of any change from the Consumer Price Index (U.S. Cities - Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers - CPI-W) for October, or other comparable index if not published. The Treasurer shall adjust the fees and publish them each December to take effect on all goods and services delivered or contracted after the beginning of each year and all utility bills mailed after the first of each year. In no event shall the cumulative change in rates be less than zero percent nor more than four percent per year nor may the 14.07 - 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- change in any given year be less than zero percent nor more than four percent Unit prices for fees and charges set out in Sections 14.07.070 and 14.07.110 shall be to the nearest one-tenth cent (1/10¢) and all other charges to the nearest cent. Fees and charges will only be adjusted in increments of five dollars ($5.00) and will not be adjusted until such time that the cumulative increase based on annual changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is at least five dollars (Ord. 5464 Sec. 2, 2012) 14.07 - 4