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BILLING & COLLECTION PROCEDURES FOR THE WATER AND SEWER DIVISIONS 1 1. All customers for water and sewer usage shall be billed quarterly. 2. A 30-day reminder, stating account is past due, shall be mailed to the delinquent water and sewer customer. 3. A 90-day disconnection notice (water) and a 90-day delinquent notice (sewer) shall be sent to all water and sewer customers delinquent more than $5.00. 4. Ten days following receipt of the disconnection notice, service shall be discontinued for all unpaid water bills over $50.00 for single family, commercial, and industrial accounts, as follows: a. Single Family Residents. Division will attempt to collect payment by contacting the individual in person prior to shutting off the water. Payment arrangements can be made in lieu of paying the full amount. b. Commercial and Industrial. Division may either shut off water or collect for past due accounts. c. Multi-Units (Apartments). Division shall hang a "Notice to Tenants" on the door of each apartment stating the PUC Regulation that allows the tenants to assume responsibility for payment of all future bills. (NOTE: See Section 11) 5. Apartment Buildings. When 90-days delinquent, a notice of lien shall be mailed to the owner of the property for water and sewer bills of $200.00 or more. 6. Apartment Buildings. When 120-days delinquent, a lien shall be placed on the properties that failed to respond to the Notice of Lien. A copy of the lien shall be filed at the Androscoggin County Registry of Deeds, and a notice shall be sent to the mortgage holder. 7. New customers applying for service shall be required to provide a driver's license number or if a corporation, a Federal I.D. number. 8. Interest at 10 excess of 45 days. 9. The Sewer Division shall require a $100.00 deposit from tenants of rental properties (single family homes only), said deposit is retained for one year. If the tenant remains current (pays within 30 days), the deposit shall be returned one year from date of deposit. If the tenant is delinquent, the deposit shall be held indefinitely to be applied to the final bill upon the tenant's request to terminate service. 10. Opening and Shutting Water Service. A $5.00 open and shut fee shall be charged for each trip made during the hours of 7:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. A minimum fee of $40.00 shall be charged for services rendered beyond the above mentioned hours. ---PAGE BREAK--- BILLING & COLLECTION PROCEDURES FOR THE WATER AND SEWER DIVISIONS 2 11. Disconnection of single-meter, multi-unit dwellings (apartment buildings). The multi-family unit with a single meter will be disconnected providing the following criteria has been met: filing a lien as outlined in Section 6, made every attempt possible to deliver the notice of impending disconnection to an adult occupant in each dwelling unit, and notifying the Consumer Assistance Division of the MPUC. A re-connection fee of $100.00 shall be charged to cover the costs of collecting the account balance; notifying the customers; and preparing, processing, and filing the lien. This fee shall be in addition to any damages, costs, interest, and attorney's fees as may be awarded by the court in any collection action. In addition to these fees, a reopen charge will be assessed as stipulated in Section 10.