Southwest
Lincoln County
Water District
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Water District
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POLICIES OF
SW LINCOLN COUNTY WATER
DISTRICT (SWLCWD) Effective September 8, 2004 (Subject to change without notice) TYPES
OF WATER SERVICES Active
Service – A service for which all fees (connection and System
Development Charges (SDC’s)) have been paid and the customer receives
a monthly bill. Inactive
Service – A service for which the connection fee has been
paid but at customer’s request no meter was installed.
When the property owner activates this meter, a fee of $50 plus
any applicable SDC must be paid. The
meter will then be installed and monthly billing will begin.
If a contractor or land developer wishes to install
water services in conjunction with the installation of water lines, a
fee of $100 per service must be paid to the Water District before the
water lines are activated. This
establishes the service as an Inactive Service.
When the parcels of land are sold and the services need to be
activated, the developer or property owner must pay $50 to have a meter
set along with and applicable SDC. Permanent
Disconnect – A service for which the monthly charges have not
been paid for at least one and one half years or the owner has requested
that the meter be removed. At
this point the service is terminated.
The actual physical components of the service may or may not be
removed from the ground. In
order to reactivate the service, a new connection fee must be paid with
any SDC charge if one has not been previously paid.
NEW
WATER SERVICES All
applications for new services or reconnection of a “Permanent
Disconnect” service MUST be approved by the District Manager or his
designee before any service will be installed. Connection
(or reconnection) fees are as follows unless otherwise specified by the
Water District Board:
DISTRICT WIDE ¾”
service
$750.00 1”
service
$800.00 1
½” service and larger will be cost determined for each individual
site by the Water District. A system development charge (SDC) applies to all new Domestic or Commercial hook ups. The SDC is based upon the service size and whether the new service is located in or out of the District. The
system development charge amounts are:
INSIDE DISTRICT
OUTSIDE DISTRICT ¾”
service
$2,025.00
¾” service $3,040.00 1”
service
$2,835.00
1” service $4,255.00 1
½” service
$3,475.00
1 ½” service $5,215.00 2”
service
$5,880.00
2” service $8,820.00 3”
service $22,280.00
3” service
$34,275.00 6”
service $42,550.00
6” service
$63,825.00 SWLCWD
will need the following items: ▪Address
where the service is to be located. ▪Map
and Tax Lot # ▪Billing
address ▪Phone #
where customer can be reached and/or message left ▪Signed
SWLCWD Water Application ▪ If the
meter is not to be placed within a current dedicated right-of-way or
existing District easement, a new recorded easement will be required. Customers
paying a SDC in full will not pay any existing Bond Surcharge on their
monthly bill. The
SWLCWD previously allowed a one-time chance to pay an amount equal to
what the SDC is fro a ¾” service.
Customers who paid this amount do not have the current bond
surcharge on their monthly water bills. New
services are installed as the work schedule permits, usually within two
weeks of payment of all fees. Once
a SDC has been paid on a tax lot, it will not be assessed a second time,
even if the service becomes disconnected for a period of time. CHANGE
OF OWNER The
SWLCWD Office must be notified as soon as a change of owner occurs and a
new Water Application must be signed.
A $10.00 change of owner fee is included on the first billing. Changes are made as close to normal read dates as
possible. The account for water service at any location stays with the property that is
provided water, so if there is a prior balance still owing at the next
read date it is the new owner’s responsibility to collect and pay for
all the prior and current balances, including any penalty fees owed the
District. If there is
a credit on the account, the reverse is true. WATER
APPLICATION The
District requires a current, signed Water Application on file at all
times. The application can
be signed at the Office or be mailed to the applicant for return to the
office. If the Office does
not receive the signed application within 30 Days of mailing by the
Office, then a last notice warning letter, with a copy of the original
water application, is mailed to the Property Owner.
The letter states the date the Water Application is due.
If the Office does not receive a signed Water Application within
30 Days of this notice, a door hanger stating that the water will be
shut off in 5 days, will be placed at the site where the service is
located, or mailed if bare land. If
the Office still has not received the Water Application within 5 days of
the door hanger, then the water service will be locked off at the meter
until a signed water application is received by the Office. A shut off
fee ($40 at this time) will apply. The water service will be unlocked by a District employee as
soon as possible after receipt of the signed Water Application and all
past due amounts are paid. OWNER’S
RESPONSIBILITY The
District needs approval from the property owner to bill the resident if
the service is to a rental. The
Office will bill the renter as a courtesy for the owner.
However, the owner of the property will be held responsible for
the collection of debts owed to the Southwest Lincoln County Water
District. The District will
not attempt to collect the debts from the renter if the renter does not
pay or refund overpayments. It
will be the property owner’s responsibility to collect and pay for all
prior and current balances plus any penalty fees owed the District.
The owner will receive a copy of the bill sent to the renter if
the account is placed into a 14-day shut off notice status or if there
has been damage done to District Property.
Unpaid fees will be transferred to the new owner when the
property is sold. CHANGE
OF ADDRESS The
property owner must notify the Office as soon as possible of any address
changes affecting billing or notification.
The District will not be held liable for any service shut off due
to billings not being received because of inaccurate addresses. These accounts are handled in the same manner as a shut off
for non-payment. Returned
mail is kept on file at the Office. DAMAGE
OF DISTRICT PROPERTY The
customer will be held liable for any costs due to damage to District
property. A bill will be
sent to the customer that includes parts and labor for repairing the
damage. This bill is due upon receipt. If the occupant is a renter and fails to pay, the owner will
be held responsible for the bill and will receive a copy of the letter
to the renter. For example,
if the water service is locked and the customer cuts off the lock or the
angle stop to re-establish water service, parts and labor charges will
be assessed. LOTS
WITH MULTIPLE DWELLINGS There
will be one system development charge for each tax lot. Customers will have two different options for service
upon approval by the District Manager. 1)
Separate
meters can be set for each dwelling unit:
each meter will be treated and charged as a separate accounts. 2)
One meter
can serve all dwelling units: this
meter will generate one bill that will include multiple base rates each
month. CONTRACTOR
A
contractor is a person or business doing work for a property owner.
Contractors may sign up for water service as a representative of
the property owner with the owner’s permission, but if a contractor
fails to pay for a service rendered, the property owner will be liable
for the bill. LEAKS
Southwest
Lincoln County Water District is not responsible for any leak on the
customer’s side of the meter. When
the meter is read monthly, the meter reader will note if there appears
to be an unusual water usage at that location.
An employee of the District will attempt to contact the owner or
resident. If no one can be
located at the premises, a door hanger, at no charge, will be left or a
letter mailed to notify of a possible leak.
As a courtesy for the customers in the District, a District
employee may help find a leak if an owner or resident is present at the
location, but will not be able to help fix the leak in any way.
Once the customer of the property has been contacted they may
request, a District employee to turn the water service off at the meter
on the customers side to prevent further water loss until the leak can
be repaired. In the case of
a major leak, the District may turn off the water while attempting to
contact the property owner. Customers
who have had a large leak may inquire at the Office to request
additional time to pay the bill. The
Water District owns and maintains the meter and the shut off valve on
the customer side of the meter. Upon
a customer’s request, a District employee will either lock or turn the
meter off on the customer side free of charge, thus avoiding water loss
or theft while the customer is away from the property. BILLING
The
Water District is divided into five meter reading routes.
Route 1 is read on the first Monday of the month, Route 2 on the
second Monday, Route 3 on the third Monday, and Route 4 & 5 on the
fourth Monday. You may
contact the Office to determine your route. Bills
are mailed by Thursday of the week they are read.
Payment is due on the Friday before the Monday that the route is
read. Payments placed in
the drop box after the office closes on Friday are entered into the
computer on Monday morning
before 9:00 am. and are considered to be paid on time. After the Monday mail & drop box payments are entered into the computer the late notice penalties are posted. LATE
NOTICE PENALTIES
If
after the current bills are printed an account has a prior balance of
$10.01 or more, a late notice penalty of $2.00 will be posted to that
account. If the prior
balance is caused by the $10.00 change of owner fee, a late penalty will
not be charged. If the
water service at a location is currently in a shut off status, it will
not be charged a late penalty. If
the current bill has a prior balance it will have a “14-Day To Shut
Off” stamp on the bill. The
bill will show the prior balance, the late charge, and the current
reading amount due. If the account is billed to a renter, the owner of the property will receive a copy of this bill. DOOR
HANGER PENALTIES
If
the prior balance plus all late fees assessed have not been paid within
14 days from the mailing date of the bill, a door hanger will be placed
at the site of the water service. In
the case of the site being a vacant lot, the door hanger will be mailed
to the current billing address on the day the door hanger was to be
placed. Door
hangers are hung on Thursdays. There
is a $3.00 door hanger penalty for each door hanger.
The door hanger shows the balance owed, the door hanger charge,
and the total amount due. It
also states that there is a $40.00 turn on charge if the water service
is shut off. Water will be
shut off 5 days after the door hanger is hung unless previous
arrangements have been made with the Office Manager. SHUT
OFF PENALTIES If
the overdue balance plus all fees assessed have not been paid before the
scheduled turn off date, the service for that account will be shut off.
Service shut off for non-payment is done Tuesday at 10:00 am
sharp. There is a $40.00
turn on charge is added to the account at the time of turn off.
To have water service restored, the FULL balance of the account
including the turn on charge MUST be paid in full.
If a customer contacts the Office before 9:30 am on the scheduled
service shut-off day, the Office personnel will consider an extension of
time for payment. Once
the water meter has been locked off, no person, except an employee of
the Water District, can remove the lock.
If the lock or any other piece of the meter or surrounding parts
is removed by other than a District employee to restore water service,
the meter will be physically removed and not be replaced until the total
bill has been paid. This is
considered Theft of Services, and can be prosecuted. There will be
an additional meter set charge of $50.00, as well as any labor and part
charges for any necessary repairs of the service or meter.
These charges must be paid before service is restored.
Even
though the meter is locked off, a minimum bill charge will accrue each
month. RETURNED
CHECKS When
a check is returned from the bank for NSF (not sufficient funds) to the
office there is a $15.00 returned check charge applied.
The check will be re-deposited once with a separate deposit slip. If the check is returned for a second time, the service goes
into next day shut off. A
door hanger will be placed on the property stating that the water will
be shut off at 10:00 am the following morning.
It will also state on the door hanger that payment must be in
CASH. A $3.00 door hanger,
a $15.00 returned check charge, and the check payment amount will be
charged to the account. If
a check is written to keep the water service from being shut off (door
hanger has been hung) and it comes back for NSF (not sufficient funds)
then the service goes into next day shut off.
A door hanger will be placed on the property stating that the
water will be shut off at 10:00 am the following morning.
It will also state on the door hanger that full payment will be
in CASH. A $3.00 door
hanger, a $15.00 returned check charge, and check payment amount will be
charged to the account. Any
check that is returned on a closed account will result in an automatic
next day shut off. The check payment amount is charged back to the
account. A $15.00 returned
check charge and a $40.00 Turn on charge are also assessed to the
account. Payment in full
must be in CASH. WATER
QUALITY COMPLAINTS Any
water quality complaints are to be made to the Office and are
immediately given to the Water Quality Supervisor for his immediate
attention. NEW
WATER LINES New water lines are approved by the Field Superintendent and King Phelps. King Phelps is the District's engineer-of-record in order to obtain a comply with Health Department regulations. New
water lines over 2” are generally installed by a developer with the
District inspecting the line when it is completed.
Exceptions to this must be approved by the Field Superintendent.
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