Needles Municipal Code Art. 22 VIII Termination of Service

the City with at least two working days’ notice and a disconnect date. The Customer shall remain responsible for all service use until two working days after the disconnect notice or the requested disconnect date, whichever is later.

a) The City shall make available its policies on discontinuation of residential service for nonpayment available in English, the languages listed in Section 1632 of the California Civil Code, and any other language spoken by at least 10 percent of the people residing in the City’s service area. The policies are set forth in these Terms and Conditions are intended to cover the following subjects and may be interpreted or supplemented by additional written policies established by the City Manager or his or her designee:

(1) A plan for deferred or reduced payments. (2) Alternative payment schedules. (3) A formal

mechanism for a customer to contest or appeal a bill. (4) A telephone number for a customer to contact to discuss options for averting discontinuation of residential service for nonpayment.

b) These policies shall be available on the City’s Internet Web site and shall be provided to customers in writing, upon request.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the City shall not

discontinue residential service for nonpayment until a payment by a customer has been delinquent for at least sixty (60) days. Delinquency shall be measured from the due date as provided in the bill or the City’s other policies. No less than seven business days before discontinuation of residential service for nonpayment, the City shall contact the customer named on the account by telephone or written notice.

a) Telephonic Contact. When the City contacts the customer named on the account by telephone pursuant to section 8.3(a), it shall offer to provide in writing to the customer the City’s policy on discontinuation of residential service for nonpayment. The City shall offer to discuss options to avert discontinuation of residential service for nonpayment, including, but not limited to, alternative payment schedules, deferred payments, minimum payments, procedures for requesting amortization of the unpaid balance, and petition for bill review and appeal.

b) Mailed Notice. When the urban and community water system contacts the customer named on the account by written notice pursuant to section 8.3(a), the written notice of payment delinquency and impending discontinuation shall be mailed to the customer of the residence to which the residential service is provided. If the customer’s address is not the address of the property to which residential service is provided, the notice also shall be sent to the address of the property to which residential service is provided, addressed to “Occupant.” The notice shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following information in a clear and legible format:

(1) The customer’s name and address. (2) The amount of the delinquency. (3) The date by which payment or arrangement for payment is required in order to avoid discontinuation of residential service. (4) A description of the process to apply for an extension of time to pay the delinquent charges. (5) A description of the procedure to petition for bill review and appeal. (6)

A description of the procedure by which the customer may request a deferred, reduced, or alternative payment schedule, including an amortization of the delinquent residential service charges, consistent with the written policies provided pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 8.2.

c) Personal Contact. If the City is unable to make contact with the customer or an adult occupying the residence by telephone, and written notice is returned through the mail as undeliverable, the City shall make a good faith effort to visit the residence and leave, or make other arrangements for placement in a conspicuous place of, a notice of imminent discontinuation of residential service for nonpayment and the City’s policy for discontinuation of residential service for nonpayment. d) Stay Pending Appeal. If an adult at the residence appeals the water bill to the City or any other administrative or legal body to which such an appeal may be lawfully taken, the City not discontinue residential service while the appeal is pending.

a) The City shall not discontinue residential service for nonpayment if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The customer, or a tenant of the customer, submits to the City the certification of a primary care provider, that discontinuation of residential service will be life threatening to, or pose a serious threat to the health and safety of, a resident of the premises where residential service is provided.

(2) The customer is willing to enter into an amortization agreement, alternative payment schedule, or a plan for deferred or reduced payment, consistent with the written policies provided pursuant to Section 8.2, with respect to all delinquent charges.

b) If the conditions listed in section 8.4(a) are met, the City shall offer the customer one or more of the following options at the discretion of City provided that repayment shall occur within 12 months year:

(1) Amortization of the unpaid balance. (2) Participation in an alternative payment schedule. (3) A partial or full reduction of the unpaid balance financed without additional charges to other ratepayers. (4) Temporary deferral of payment.

Residential service may be discontinued no sooner than 5

business days after the urban and community water system posts a final notice of intent to disconnect service in a prominent and conspicuous location at the property under either of the following circumstances:

a) The customer fails to comply with an amortization agreement, an alternative payment schedule, or a deferral or reduction in payment plan for delinquent charges for 60 days or more.

b) While undertaking an amortization agreement, an alternative payment schedule, or a deferral or reduction in payment plan for delinquent charges, the customer does not pay his or her current residential service charges for 60 days or more.

c) If the City discontinues residential service for nonpayment it shall provide the customer with information on how to restore residential service.

a) If the City furnishes individually metered residential service to residential occupants of a detached single-family dwelling, a multiunit residential structure, mobilehome park, or permanent residential structure in a labor camp, and the owner, manager, or operator of the dwelling, structure, or park is the customer of record, the City shall make every good faith effort to inform the residential occupants, by means of written notice, when the account is in arrears that service will be terminated at least ten (10) days prior to the termination. The written notice shall further inform the residential occupants that they have the right to become customers, to whom the service will then be billed, without being required to pay any amount which may be due on the delinquent account. The City is not required to make service available to the residential occupants unless each residential occupant agrees to the terms and conditions of service and meets the requirements of law and the City’s rules and tariffs. However, if one or more of the residential occupants are willing and able to assume responsibility for the subsequent charges to the account to the satisfaction of the urban and community water system, or if there is a physical means legally available to the City of selectively terminating service to those residential occupants who have not met the requirements of the City’s rules and tariffs, the City shall make service available to those residential occupants who have met those requirements. If prior service for a period of time is a condition for establishing credit with the City, residence and proof of prompt payment of rent or other credit obligation acceptable to the City for that period of time is a satisfactory equivalent.

City shall not be required to restore service until the conditions which resulted

in the termination have been corrected to the satisfaction of the City. The City shall collect a reconnection of service fee for reconnection during normal operating hours at fifty dollars ($50), but not to exceed the actual cost of reconnection if it is less. For the reconnection of residential service during nonoperational hours, the City shall set a reconnection of service fee at one hundred fifty dollars ($150), but not to exceed the actual cost of reconnection if it is less