A. Except as hereinafter provided, all of the rates and charges for water and sanitary sewage disposal service set forth in this title and any and all charges which may be fixed hereafter for water and/or sewage disposal service shall continue to be billed on a bimonthly basis and shall be paid on or before the twentieth day of that month immediately following the months in which said water or sewage service was furnished, and if not so paid, shall become delinquent on said date and a penalty in an amount as established by resolution of the city council shall be added to the amount due for such delinquency; provided, however, all industrial users, restaurants, laundromats, and all governmental or quasi-governmental agencies, bodies, or associations shall continue to be billed on a monthly basis, and such charges shall be payable by the twentieth day of the month following the month in which such service is furnished, and if not so paid, shall be delinquent and a penalty in an amount as established by resolution of the city council shall be added to the amount due for such delinquency.
B. Commencing effective on the fifteenth day of February, 1978, all recreational vehicle parks shall be served through a master meter, and the owner and/or operator of such park shall be responsible for all charges. Such recreational vehicle parks shall be billed for water and sewer service on the same basis and rates as are or shall be fixed by ordinance or resolution for motels on or after the effective date of the resolution codified in this subsection. (Ord. 1143 § 8, 2004; Res. 387 §§ 3, 4, 1999; Ord. 786 § 1, 1991; Res. 157, 1978; Ord. 576 § 1, 1976: Ord. 440 § 7, 1956).

All applications for water and/or sewage service, and for connections with the water or sewerage systems, for turning water off and on or removing or reinstalling water meters as hereinafter provided, shall be made by the owner or purchaser of the property to be served thereby, or their duly authorized agent, and such owners or purchasers shall be responsible for the payment of all such charges, together with the penalties and interest thereon as provided in this title, and all accounts for such service shall be billed directly to such owner or purchaser, or their duly authorized agent. All such charges, penalties and interest shall be a lien upon the property to which such water is delivered, sewerage service rendered, or such connection or connections made, superior to all other liens or encumbrances except those for general taxes and special assessments. Enforcement of such lien or liens shall be in the manner provided by law. (Ord. 576 § 2, 1976: Ord. 440 § 10, 1956).

A. A water or sewer account is delinquent if it is not paid by the twentieth day of the month.
B. A delinquency notice shall be mailed to all past due accounts on or about the twenty-first day of the month. The delinquency notice shall state that water and sewer service may be discontinued fifteen days after the date of the delinquency notice.
C. At least twenty-four hours prior to discontinuance of water and sewer services for delinquency, a door hanger shall be left at the premises receiving water or sewer service, or, if unable to reasonably access premises, the notice shall be mailed to the customer. The door hanger shall state when water shall be turned off unless all delinquent amounts and charges are paid. An administrative charge as established by resolution of the city council shall be added to the account if the account has not been paid and a door hanger has been mailed to the customer or left at the premises receiving water or sewer service.
D. In all instances where water and sewer service has been discontinued because of delinquency, a disconnection fee as established by resolution of the city council shall be collected in addition to the delinquent amount.
E. The city clerk-treasurer or his/her agent shall, in the case of extreme hardship or by prior arrangement with the customer, have the discretion not to discontinue service to a delinquent account upon acceptance of a valid plan for the payment of all past-due charges.
F. If the customer disputes the amount due on the account, the customer shall have fifteen days from the date of the delinquency notice within which to file a written request to have the account reviewed by the clerk-treasurer or the clerk-treasurer’s designee. The request shall state the reasons why the customer believes the amount to be in error.
1. Any customer seeking timely review of a water bill in writing shall be heard before discontinuance of water or sewer services. The decision of the clerk-treasurer or the clerk-treasurer’s designee shall be final.
2. After hearing, if the clerk-treasurer or the city clerk-treasurer’s designee finds in favor of the customer, any or all of the appropriate charges may be returned to the customer or credited to the customers account based upon the clerk-treasurer’s or the clerk-treasurer’s designee’s findings. If the clerk-treasurer or the clerk-treasurer’s designee finds that the customer owes the city any money, the customer shall pay the amount due within the time ordered by the clerk-treasurer or the clerk-treasurer’s designee. If the amount is not paid, water and sewer service shall be discontinued. (Ord. 1143 § 9, 2004; Ord. 1090 § 13, 2002; Res. 387 §§ 4--6, 1999; Ord. 912 § 8, 1995: Ord. 819 § 1, 1992: Ord. 551 § 7, 1973: Ord. 440 § 11, 1956).

The city clerk-treasurer shall collect all the rates and charges herein provided for and accruing from time to time, and all of such sums, when collected, shall be paid by the clerk-treasurer into the fund of the city known as “Kalama water and sewer revenue fund” created by Ordinance No. 433. (Ord. 440 § 12, 1956).

It is unlawful and a misdemeanor for any person, firm, association or corporation without authority from the director of public works of the city to use water from any hydrant or standpipe for any purpose except protection against or extinguishing fires, to open any manhole or interfere or tamper with in any way any manhole, flush tank or public sewer, or to break or violate any rules or regulations adopted by ordinance or resolution of the city council prohibiting the disposal of certain damaging substances through the city sewerage system.
Any person violating any provisions or failing to comply with any of the mandatory requirements of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any person convicted of a misdemeanor under this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars.
Each such person is guilty of a separate offense for each and every day during any portion of which any violation of this section is committed, continued or permitted by any such person, and he shall be punished accordingly. (Ord. 1090 § 14, 2002: Ord. 912 § 9, 1995; Ord. 535 § 1, 1972; Ord. 440 § 13, 1956).