South Hutchinson sets a firm monthly water shut-off date, 15% late charge and $30 reconnection fee
The city has not said when the new schedule takes effect.
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Sign up freeSouth Hutchinson water customers who miss the 10th-of-the-month deadline now face disconnection on the last business day of that month, plus a 15% late charge and a $30 reconnection fee. The city's announcement of Ordinance No. 26-07, published Monday, Aug. 24, does not give the date of passage or the council vote.
Under the ordinance, a water bill is delinquent if it is unpaid by the 10th day of the month following billing, and once an account is delinquent the city may refuse further service and begin shut-off procedures. The announcement uses an April bill as its example: left unpaid, it becomes delinquent in May and service is disconnected on the last business day of May. The announcement does not describe the delinquency date or shut-off schedule the ordinance replaces.
According to the city's announcement, all past-due amounts, the late charge and the reconnection fee must be paid in full before water service is turned back on. Payments to restore service are limited to cash, money order, credit or debit card, or a cashier's check — the only form of check accepted. A customer with more than one account loses service at all of them if any single account goes delinquent, and cannot open a new water account at another location until the delinquent account is paid in full.
The city clerk must issue a delinquency and termination notice within five business days of an account going delinquent, stating the amount due, the late charges, the exact disconnection date, the reconnection fee and the customer's right to request a hearing. A hearing must be requested in writing at least three business days before the scheduled shut-off, and a designated city official conducts it within three business days of the request. The announcement does not identify that official, say where a written request should be delivered, or say whether requesting a hearing delays the shut-off.
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