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CITY OF MELFORT
BYLAW NO. 2018-05
A BYLAW TO REGULATE THE MAINTENANCE AND
MANAGEMENT OF THE WATERWORKS SYSTEM,
AND FOR COLLECTION OF WATER AND SEWER RATES
The Council of the City of Melfort, in the Province of Saskatchewan, hereby enacts as follows:
1.
Short Title
This bylaw shall be known as "The Waterworks Bylaw".
2.
Definitions
(1)
In this Bylaw, the words: Person, Consumer, Customer are synonymous, and mean
the person or persons, organizations, corporations, etc., responsible for the payment of
charges for water and sewer services.
(2)
"Dwelling House" - means a private dwelling house, which is primarily to be
occupied by one family, and shall include a dwelling house with a basement suite,
which is accessed through a common entranceway.
(3)
"Dwelling House Consumer" - means a water consumer who owns, rents, or occupies
any such dwelling house.
(4)
"Engineer" - means the person or persons employed by the City in the capacity of
Engineer, the Director of Works & Utilities or the Foreman with the responsibility for
administration of the Works Department, and shall also be deemed to include the
meter person responsible for the installation, maintenance, and reading of water
meters, or any third party firm, under the direction of the Director to replace or
maintain water meters.
(5)
"City" - means the City of Melfort and its employees.
(6)
"Water Consumer" - includes the owner, tenant, or occupant of any real property
connected with or supplied with water through a water connection to the water system
of the City.
3.
Waterworks System
(1)
Every person desiring to have his premises connected to the waterworks system shall
apply to the City for that service.
(2)
(a)
The Council may cause to be installed in the premises of every person
receiving water service, a meter to be placed upon the service pipe connecting
the premises to the water system.
(b)
Every person shall provide, at his own expense, a place in his premises for the
installation of the meter, which shall be acceptable to the Engineer, and shall
provide ready and easy means of access to said meter for examination by the
Bylaw No. 2018-05 Waterworks Bylaw
Page 2
meter reader and shall at all times properly and efficiently protect the service
pipes and fixtures from frost or other injury so that the meter shall not in any
way be damaged. In case the Engineer considers that any meter is
insufficiently protected from frost, he may cut off the water service until
measures to his satisfaction have been taken for its protection. Every person
shall also provide at his own expense, a place, usually on the outside wall of
his premises, where a remote read-out unit may be installed. The location
shall be convenient for the meter reader and acceptable to the Engineer.
(c)
Every residential, commercial and other premises connected to the City
waterworks system shall be equipped with a water meter. The cost of the
water meter is to be determined by the City by resolution from time to time.
(d)
Every person desiring to receive or to continue to receive water service shall
deposit with the City, as set out in Schedule "A", the fee for each meter plus
any applicable application fees, provided that the person who paid the said
Water Meter Deposit shall be entitled to a return of the Water Meter Deposit
when service is discontinued for which the said Water Meter Deposit was
paid, less any outstanding amounts due at the time of discontinuing service.
(e)
No service will be given and any existing service may be discontinued
without notice where no meter has been installed.
(f)
Only one (1) meter shall be supplied for each connection to the water system
provided, however, that the Engineer may, at his discretion, supply such
additional meters as he may deem necessary.
(g)
In the event that a meter when read is found to have failed to register correctly
during any portion of the preceding three-month period, the amount of water
consumption for such period shall be taken to be either the same as that of the
next previous period in which the meter has registered correctly, or the same
as that of the corresponding period in the next preceding year, whichever may
be more advantageous to the water consumer.
(3)
(a)
The charges to be paid by water consumers whose water service has been
turned on shall be those presently set forth in Schedule "A" hereto, or as
amended from time to time; provided, however, that the basic service fee shall
be payable in every case whether or not any water is consumed.
(b)
The due date for services rendered in accordance with this Bylaw shall be the
date as indicated on the invoice. Account balances outstanding after the due
date will be considered over due and will be subject to a penalty of 1.5% per
month compounded monthly until the account including all penalties are paid
in full.
If an account is not paid in full by the due date, the water service may be
discontinued without notice. When service is discontinued for non-payment,
the said service shall not be reconnected until all arrears and accrued penalties
are paid in full. An additional fee of Fifty ($50.00) Dollars to cover the
expense of turning off the water and turning it on again shall be paid prior to
the service being reconnected. If all arrears and penalties are paid to the
employee designated to discontinue the service prior to actual disconnection
being effected, the service fee shall be Twenty ($20.00) to cover the cost of
the employee's attendance at such premises.
Bylaw No. 2018-05 Waterworks Bylaw
Page 3
(c)
The collection of the charges for water service, cut-off and resumption of such
services, and sums collected from customers and the supervision of all books,
accounts, and other records in connection with the water service shall be
under the immediate control and direction of the City Manager.
(4)
(a)
No person other than a City employee or member of the Fire Department or a
person authorized by any of them shall open, close, or interfere with any
hydrant, gate, or valve connected with the waterworks system, and no person
shall in any way interfere with any stop cock, pipe, or other waterworks
appliance outside of his premises, nor shall he interfere with any meter,
whether inside or outside of his premises.
(b)
No person shall turn water on in any premises or open a City cock or curb
stop except the Engineer or a person authorized by him. When water has been
turned off for non-payment of rates or for failure to protect meters or pipes to
the satisfaction of the Engineer, or for any other necessary or proper reason,
no person shall turn it on again who is not duly authorized to do so.
(5)
(a)
For the purpose of making repairs to the mains or of connecting or repairing
service pipes or constructing extensions or new work or any other work, the
City shall have the right to shut off the water from any customer without
notice and to keep it shut off as long as may be necessary to enable the work
to be completed. Whenever feasible, the customer shall be notified in
advance.
(b)
Subject to Paragraph 5(a) hereof, the City shall have the right to limit the
amount of water furnished to any customer, upon reasonable notice to the
customer of such intended action.
(c)
The City shall have the right by resolution to regulate the use of water for
fountains or jets, hoses, or sprinklers, or to limit the hours for using the same.
Every person found guilty of an infraction of any restriction imposed by
authority of this Section, shall be subject to the penalty imposed by the
General Penalty Bylaw.
(6)
(a)
Every Customer intending to vacate any premises supplied with water from
the waterworks system or who intends to discontinue the use of such water
shall give notice of the same to the City and shall turn off the main valve on
the inside of the building before leaving.
(b)
There shall be a $50.00 fee charged to consumers for discontinuance and
reconnection of water service on a seasonal basis, for a length of time over 2
months or greater.
(c)
There shall be no charge for turning water service off and on at the request of
a plumber or home owner where the premises requires plumbing repairs, and
the City does not lose utility revenues.
(7)
Where a consumer permits a water meter to freeze up, and damage to the meter
results, repairs shall be made by the City and the cost of materials and labour shall be
added to the consumer's account.
Bylaw No. 2018-05 Waterworks Bylaw
Page 4
4.
General
(1)
Dwelling house consumer water and sewer accounts shall be rendered bi-monthly, and
all other water and sewer consumer accounts shall be rendered monthly.
(2)
The Council may, from time to time, by resolution, determine the periods for billing
purposes.
(3)
Bylaw Nos. 2012-21 and 2016-09 are hereby repealed.
5.
Coming into force
This bylaw shall come into force and take effect on the day of the final passing thereof.
_______________________________
__________________________________
Mayor
City Clerk
INTRODUCED AND READ THE FIRST TIME this 16th day of April, 2018.
READ THE SECOND TIME this 16th day of April, 2018.
READ THE THIRD TIME this 16th day of April, 2018.
SEAL
CERTIFIED a true copy of Bylaw No. 2018-05,
adopted by resolution of Council on the 16th day
of April, 2018.
_______________________________
City Clerk
Bylaw No. 2018-05 Waterworks Bylaw
Page 5
SCHEDULE "A"
TO BYLAW NO. 2018-05
CITY OF MELFORT
Rates Effective April 1, 2018
I
CONNECTION FEES
(a)
Application fee for new accounts and transfers
$15.00
(b)
Disconnection fee
$50.00
(c)
Seasonal disconnection fee
$50.00
(d)
Reconnection due to arrears
$50.00
II
WATER METER DEPOSITS:
(a)
Every person desiring to receive or to continue to receive water and/or sewer service shall
deposit with the City the following fee for each meter:
$100.00 for property owners
$200.00 for renters of premises
(b)
All meters in excess of three quarters (3/4) of an inch shall be purchased from the City and the
customer shall pay the entire cost for the meter. The City reserves the right to service and/or
change the meter at any time totally at City cost.
III
BASIC MONTHLY WATER AND SEWER SERVICE FEES:
1.
Basic monthly service fees for all consumers receiving service from the City's water and/or
sewer system are as follows:
Water
$ 27.50
Sewer
8.75
Total
$ 36.25
The basic monthly service fees are to be increased annually on March 1st of each year, as
follows:
(a) Fifty cents ($0.50) per annum is to be added to the water basic service fee.
(b) Fifty cents ($0.50) per annum is to be added to the sewer basic service fee.
2.
Water rate on consumption:
(a)
The volume rate is to be increased annually, effective January 1st of each year, based
on the SaskWater inflationary formula of 75% of CPI, calculated over twelve months
running from October to October; plus
(b)
Bi-annual increases of $0.10 cents per cubic metre for four years, commencing March
1, 2015, to meet the required SaskWater rate in 2018.