§ 340-53. Payment; delinquencies; liens; disconnections; billing month.

A. 

"Billing month" shall mean any period of 25 to 35 consecutive days, which shall normally be the time between readings of the customer's meter. In the event that for any reason the customer's meter is not read on this schedule, the customer's use of water for a billing month may be estimated using information from the customer's records for previous billing months. Customers shall normally be billed on a monthly basis. If, for any reason, the City fails to send a bill to a customer, the City shall retroactively bill that customer.

B. 

The City may take the following actions in response to delinquent user fees:

(1) 

If payment of any fixed or variable cost is not made within 25 to 35 days from the date the payment is due, the water service to the property may be discontinued, and shall not be again supplied to the person liable for the payment until arrears with any interest and penalties have been fully paid. Reasonable notice and right to protest must be given to the customer prior to actual cut-off of water service. The City's Finance Department shall notify the customer of delinquent amounts and that service shall be terminated on a particular date, not less than 10 days after mailing the notice. Each delinquent notice shall contain the following language:

This is to notify you that unless you bring your utility account(s) current, your service(s) will be cut off 10 days after the date this notice was mailed. You have the right to protest this termination as unjustified if you believe that you have been overcharged or charged for services not rendered. If you believe there is a mistake in this billing, you have the right to be heard and to present your argument and evidence. The City will evaluate your complaint and determine whether you owe the amounts in question. To protest this billing, you must contact the City's Collection Agent at 454-1401, prior to the cut-off date.

(2) 

If wastewater charges owed are not paid to the City within six months after the initial billing date, a lien against the property shall be filed according to the New Mexico State Statutes.

(3) 

The City may disconnect the private service line of the delinquent account from the City collector line and plug said private line.

Amended 7-20-2005 by Ord. No. 05-12