3.04 - Rules and Regulations Relating to Municipal Utilities
93.04
Section 3.04: Rules and Regulations Relating to
Municipal Utilities
Subdivision 1. Billing, Payment and Delinquency
Each customer shall be billed regularly for all municipal utilities. All utility charges
shall be deUnquent if they are unpaid at the close of business on the due date
shown on the bill. If the due date shown on the bill falls on a Saturday, Sunday or
legal holiday, the time shall be extended to the close of business on the next
succeeding day on which business is normally transacted. A uniform grace period
may be set by the City Council in the annual fee ordinance. A penalty shall be
added to, and become part of, all delinquent utility bills. If service is suspended due
to delinquency it shall not be restored at that location until a reconnection charge
has been paid for each utility reconnected in addition to amounts owed for service
and penalties.
Subdivision 2. Application, Connection and Sale of Service
Application for municipal utility services shall be made upon forms supplied by the
City, and strictly in accordance therewith. No connection shall be made until the
appropriate permits have been received from the City. All municipal utilities shall be
sold and delivered to consumers at the current rates established by the City.
Applications shall be granted, and permits issued, only to licensed master plumbers
who have provided evidence of liability insurance, including product liability
coverage, with limits consistent with current City limits or statutory requirements,
whichever is greater.
Subdivision 3. Discontinuance of Service
All municipal utilities may be shut off or discontinued whenever it is found that:
A. The owner or occupant of the premises served, or any person working on any
connection with the municipal utility systems, has violated any requirement
of this Chapter of the City Code, or,
B. Any charge for a municipal utility service, or any other financial obligation
imposed on the present owner or occupant of the premises served, is unpaid
after due notice thereof, or,
C. There is fraud or misrepresentation by the owner or occupant in connection
with any application for service or delivery or charges for these services, or,
D. The owner, occupant or tenant of a premise served has denied entry for the
purpose of repairing water meters or inspecting sump pumps, drains or other
facilities, or,
E. The structure receiving service becomes uninhabitable for any reason.
Golden Valley City Code
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93.04
Subdivision 4. Ownership of Municipal Utilities
Ownership of all municipal utilities, plants, lines, mains, extensions and
appurtenances, shall be and remain in the City or jointly with other municipal
corporations or public bodies, and no person shall own any part or portion thereof,
except for sewer service laterals, water services and draintile service stubs
referenced in this Chapter.
Subdivision 5. Right of Entry
By applying for, or receiving, a municipal utility service, a customer irrevocably
consents and agrees that any Inspector may enter into and upon the private
property of the customer, including dwellings and other buildings, at all reasonable
times under the circumstances for the purpose of inspecting, repairing, reading,
and exchanging meters or connecting or disconnecting a municipal utility service.
Subdivision 6. Meter Test
Whenever a consumer requests that the City test any utility meter they are
currently using, the request shall be accompanied by a cash deposit, in an amount
to be fixed by the Council and adopted by ordinance, for each meter to be tested. If
the meter is found to be inaccurate the meter shall be replaced with an accurate
meter and the deposit refunded. If the meter is found to be accurate in its
recordings or calculations it shall be reinstalled and the deposit shall be retained by
the City to defray the cost of the testing.
Subdivision 7. Unlawful Acts
A. It is unlawful for any person to break, damage, deface, disturb, or in any way
interfere with any building, attachment, machinery, apparatus, equipment,
fixture, or appurtenance of any municipal utility or municipal utility system,
or commit any act tending to obstruct or impair the use of any municipal
utility.
B. It is unlawful for any person to make any connection with, opening into, use,
or alter in any way any municipal utility system without first having applied
for and received a permit to do so from the City.
C. It is unlawful for any person to turn on or connect a utility when the utility
has been turned off or disconnected by the City for non-payment of a bill, or
for any other reason, without first having obtained a permit to do so from the
City.
D. It is unlawful for any person to tamper or circumvent, by any means or
device a municipal utility meter, or to knowingly use or consume unmetered
utilities or use the services of any utility system, the use of which the proper
billing authorities have no knowledge.
Golden Valley City Code
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93.04
Subdivision 8. Municipal Utility Services and Charges a Lien
A. Payment for all municipal utility services and charges shall be the primary
responsibility of the owner of the premises served and shall be billed to the
owner unless otherwise contracted for and authorized in writing by the owner
and the tenant, as agent for the owner, and consented to by the City. The
City may collect all charges, penalties and surcharges in a civil action or as
otherwise provided in this subdivision.
B. Each utility account is hereby made a lien upon the premises served. All such
accounts which are more than forty-five days past due may, when authorized
by resolution of the Council, be certified by the City Clerk, to the County
Auditor, and the City Clerk in so certifying shall specify the amount thereof,
the description of the premises served, and the name of the owner thereof.
The amount so certified shall be extended by the Auditor on the tax rolls
against such premises in the same manner as other taxes, and collected by
the County Treasurer, and paid to the City along with other taxes.
Subdivision 9. Sanitary Sewer Service Cleanout
The customer shall provide a working sanitary sewer service c1eanout at all times
for the purposes of inspections and maintenance. Failure to provide a working
c1eanout is considered a refusal to allow an inspection under this Chapter.
Source: Ordinance No. 351, 2nd Series
Effective Date: 10-13-06
Golden Valley City Code
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