§ 38-92. Water meter penalties.

(a)

The owner of any property upon which a water meter is installed and such meter is determined to have been removed, tampered with, interfered with, or otherwise obstructed in a manner which interferes with the proper operation, reading or functioning thereof shall be assessed a fee established in the schedule of fees adopted by the council, but no less than $500.00, which shall cover the cost of correcting the alteration to the water meter.

(b)

In the event the owner fails to pay the penalty within 30 days of the date that such charge is billed, the city treasurer shall cause the fee to be assessed against such property and spread upon the tax roll for such property in accordance with the standard practices of the city.

(c)

In addition to the foregoing, the water department of the city shall estimate the actual usage of the owner and the period of time over which the violation occurred. Estimates of water usage shall be based on the consumption by similar property usages, taking into consideration such variables as can be determined to vary water usage. Such estimated bill shall then be billed to the owner of such property in accordance with the normal practices of the city.

(Code 1977, § 26-53; Ord. No. 166, 2-13-1989; Ord. No. 368, 9-12-2011)