A. Water, sewer, garbage, and stormwater bills shall be the responsibility of and billed directly to the property owner, unless the property owner wishes the bill sent to another address, the same shall be due and payable within thirty (30) days of the billing date. If the property owner wishes the bill sent to another address, the property owner first must execute a form provided by the City of Moses Lake indicating the property owner’s desires. The form shall include the property owner’s name and address, the address to which the bill shall be sent, and a statement that if the person at the address to which the bill is sent moves and leaves an unpaid balance, the property owner assumes responsibility for the bill. The billing dates for utility accounts shall be as follows:

Routes 1 through 15 on the twentieth of each month;

Routes 16 through 49 on the thirtieth of each month;

Routes 50 through 75 on the tenth of each month.

B. The property owners of commercial accounts and governmental agencies may sign agreements requesting that their monthly statements be mailed to service addresses. The statement will contain the same information referred to in subsection A of this section.

C. The City reserves the right to cut off the water supply from the premises. The water supply may be cut off if either the water charge, sewer charge, garbage charge, ambulance charge, or the stormwater charge is delinquent, and should the water supply be turned off for failure to pay either the sewer charge, water charge, garbage charge, ambulance charge, or stormwater charge when due, the water supply shall not be turned on until all delinquent charges have been paid in full. A service charge shall be assessed as set forth in Section 13.12.085(B) and shall be added to the amount past due and will be billed on the next month’s statement.

D. The City shall have a lien against the premises for unpaid water, sewer, garbage, ambulance, and stormwater charges as provided by the laws of the State.

E. Advance payments may be made on any water, sewer, garbage, ambulance, or stormwater account.

F. Water service will not be terminated if there is a past due water, sewer, garbage, ambulance, or stormwater charge of seventy-five dollars ($75) or less, subject to subsection G of this section.

G. No water, sewer, garbage, ambulance, or stormwater bills shall be allowed to be more than sixty (60) days past due regardless of the past due amount. If a water, sewer, garbage, ambulance, or stormwater account is to become sixty (60) days past due, water service shall be terminated as provided herein before the sixtieth day ends.

H. No water, sewer, garbage, ambulance, or stormwater account will be transferred to another person, partnership, corporation, or other entity unless the account is brought current prior to the requested transfer.

I. Property served by more than one (1) meter must keep all accounts current in accordance with this chapter in order to avoid water service being terminated to all meters serving the property. (Ord. 3042, 12/12/23; Ord. 2989, 9/28/21; Ord. 2984, 9/14/21; Ord. 2724, 8/26/14; Ord. 2570, 7/13/10; Ord. 2558, 4/27/10; Ord. 2545, 1/12/10; Ord. 1144, 1984; Ord. 1115, 1983; Ord. 1027, 1981)