Utility Policy

Policy For Providing Utility Service

Applications, Deposits, Restrictions

1. Any person wishing to have electric service provided by the City of Dover, Ohio, to be put in their own name, when that service will serve a dwelling not owned by the applicant, the applicant must post a deposit as follows:

• For an apartment or home heated with a gas-fueled furnace: $50.00.
  
  
• For an apartment heated by an electrically powered furnace or heating system: $100.00.
  
  
• For a home heated by electrically powered furnace or heating system: $150.00
  
  
• For a mobile home heated with a gas-fueled furnace or heating system: $75.00.
  
  
• For a mobile home heated by an electrically powered furnace or heating system: $150.00.

The applicant’s deposit shall be held in a City of Dover account designated for this purpose only, and shall be applied to the account in full and without interest, one year from the date of utility connection, if all bills have been paid in full within thirty days (30 days) of the billing date during the preceding year.

Commercial account applicants will be charged a deposit of $100.00 unless the business owns the property. Applicants who are unable to pay the deposit may make arrangements with a public service agency to pay the deposit on their behalf.

Only persons 18 years of age or older may have utility service provided by the city in their name. Applicants who are unable, at the time that they visit the Utility Office to make application for utility service, to pay the required deposit, may be given 14 days from the date of the beginning of service in their name to pay the deposit. If, after 14 days, the deposit has not been received at the Utility Office for any reason, all utility service may be disconnected without further notice, pending payment of the required deposit.

Applicants may avoid paying the deposit if they are able to supply a letter of good credit standing from a utility company from which they have previously received service. Deposits are applied to accounts if the account holder has paid all invoices by the due date, 12 months after payment of said deposit. If all invoices are not paid by the due date for the first year (12 months) of service after beginning service, the deposit will be held until the account is closed, at which point the deposit will be applied to the final billing(s).

2. Any person wishing to have any of the above utility services for any dwelling, shall make application in person at the City Utility Office, Municipal Office Annex, 122 East 3rd Street, Dover, Ohio, 44622. The applicant shall provide the requested or required information to the best of their ability. The exception shall be property owners transferring utility service to their name upon the occupancy of a property which they rent. Transfers in this case may be made over the phone. The Utility Office clerks shall also have authority to waive this requirement of making application in person in the case of current residents of the City of Dover who are moving to another location within the city, and who have maintained good credit standing with the Utility Office.

3. Utility service applicants may be denied utility service in their own name if:

• There is any outstanding balance owed from a previous utility account in the applicant’s name, or spouse’s name, which has not been given to the City of Dover Auditor’s office for deletion (written off).
  
  
• The applicant is unable to pay, or make arrangements to pay, the required deposit, or supply a letter of good credit standing from a utility company with whom they have maintained good credit.
  
  
• The Utility Office clerks and staff members shall have full authority to make determinations regarding routine denial of service for the above reasons.

Landlord-Tenant Relationships

In keeping with Ohio statutes, it is the position of the City of Dover Utility Office that the Utility Office may not be used as an eviction tool for property owners to remove unwanted tenants. All regular policies and schedules regarding shut-off for non-payment or other reason will be followed at all times. If a landlord or property owner requests that utility service be disconnected, and the utility service is provided in the property owner’s name, the tenant will be notified of the landlord’s request and given a reasonable time period to request service in their own name, and meet all of the above requirements for same, to avoid shut-off.

Medical Need

Account holders (or family members in the same household), may give notice to the Utility Office in writing if there is a medical need requiring electricity or water connections to be maintained in all events. All efforts to respect a medical need will be made, and said notice will be provided to the Electric Field Division and Water Division. In the event of an emergency such as a power outage or water main break, all efforts to restore service to such residences will be made as quickly as possible.

An account for which service has been designated for termination due to non-payment, and in which a genuine medical need for electricity or water (such as an electrically-powered breathing assistance device) exists for a person living at the applicable address, may provide a signed physician’s notice of said need to avoid disconnection. The physician’s notice will then avert disconnection for 30 days. It is strongly advised that such notices be provided prior to disconnection for non-payment. However, a physician’s notice of medical need provided after disconnection will restore service for a period of 30 days.

Delinquent Final Bills (closed accounts)

Any utility bill generated by the City of Dover when a customer moves out of a residence (final bill) and not paid within ninety days shall be placed with a collection agency hired by the city for such purposes. The city will notify said customer of the unpaid remaining account balance via regular mail two times during those ninety days before placement with a collection agency. After placement with the collection agency engaged by the city, the agent shall have authority to pursue all means available to achieve full payment of all overdue amounts, including, if necessary, the authority to seek legal action on the city’s behalf.

Ownership of Property Transfers to Realtor or Financial Institution (repossession)

If ownership or stewardship of a property with an unpaid utility account transfers to either a realty company (temporary) or to a financial institution (as in the case of property repossession), said utilities will not be commenced in the name of a final purchaser of the property until all amounts owed for City utilities are paid in full. If utility service (electric or water) has been terminated for non-payment and remains off, utility service will be restored to allow for preparation and sale of the property at the request of the realtor or financial institution. Such resumption of service requires an agreement by the realtor or financial institution that all utility amounts owed must be paid at the time of property transfer in order for service to commence or continue in the name of the final purchaser of the property.

Providing Water & Sewer Service – Who is Responsible for Payment?

In keeping with Dover Codified Ordinance 925.011 (“Billings, Payments & Penalties: All charges for water consumed from the Municipal Waterworks System shall be billed to the property owner monthly and shall be payable monthly.”), The city will maintain all water and/or sewer accounts in the name of the property owner. Landlords wishing to have water and/or sewer bills mailed to tenants must notify the Utility Office of this request. The Utility office will, in such cases, honor this request by mailing the monthly water and/or sewer bill to the tenant’s address “in care of occupant.” Property owners and tenants are solely responsible for record keeping in such cases. The utility office will not become involved in disputes over amounts owed.

No final bills will be issued for water and/or sewer bills in the case of rental units unless there is a change of ownership, in which case the account will be transferred to the new property owner and a final bill up to the date of real estate closing issued to the previous owner. It should also be noted that this policy is designed to eliminate the practice of requiring that property owners pay multiple minimum billings during the course of a month in which more than one tenant may occupy a property.

All Utilities - Change of Account Status

Account holders are responsible for notifying the Utility Office of any change in account status. The account holder must notify us when moving in or out, or when a property changes ownership. In the last instance, either the seller or buyer of the property can do this. If the Utility Office is not notified of changes, any utility invoices presented after the date of change (move in or out, or sale of property) are due from the account holder. Other arrangements, if any, are between the landlord/tenant or seller/buyer.

Seasonal Disconnections/Reconnections

The re-connection charge for restoring water/sewer service to a property which has been turned off at the owner’s request (seasonal residents), is $40.00.

Writing Off Uncollectible Accounts

The Utility Office is aggressive in using termination of service for current customers who fail to pay. Closed accounts are pursued for collection through in-house attempts followed by referral to a collection agency. Some accounts, regardless of attempts to collect, will remain unpaid.

In December of each year, the Utility Office, in conjunction with the Auditor’s office, determines via billing system reports which accounts can be considered uncollectible. The selection is based on age of the accounts, along with any known unusual circumstances that might make a particular account uncollectible (for example, extendeded imprisonment of the account holder). Accounts marked for write-off are at least five years old. Once the selection process is complete, the Utility Office uses the billing system to designate such accounts as “written off,” though payment can still be accepted on any account so designated for an indefinite period of time. Accounts thus written off are no longer included in standard reports of uncollected closed accounts or in any accounts receivable amount for the City Utilities.

In addition, accounts for which the account holder has been granted protection from collection efforts by the courts (bankruptcy), are written off throughout the year as required by law. Accounts held by city-owned entities or properties are written off in total yearly.

No policy exists for the sale of uncollectible accounts to third parties, and such arrangements are not practiced.

Letters of Credit

After a customer of the City Utilities closes an electric account, they may request a letter of good credit with which they may prove good credit to any subsequent utility. This letter will be provided if the customer’s account has never been terminated (shut off) for non-payment, and the customer has remained completely current in their account for twelve consecutive months prior to the close of the account. All final bills must also be paid in full prior to issuing a letter of good credit.

Returned Check Charge

The City of Dover Utility Office charges a fee of $20 for processing checks refused for insufficient funds. The City also may terminate service to any account on which a check is returned for insufficient funds.

Employees of the City of Dover – Delinquent Payments

Recognizing that employees of the City are subject to the same occasional financial constraints as all other customers, employee’s utility accounts will fall under all provisions of this policy, with this additional safeguard: If a utility account held in the name of an employee becomes overdue to the point of receiving a termination-of-service notice, both the City Auditor and the Mayor shall receive a copy of the notice. If arrangements for payment are made with the utility office, both the Auditor and Mayor shall receive a copy of the arrangements. When the account is paid in full, the Auditor and Mayor shall receive a copy of the paid invoice.

Billing Errors and Corrections

If a customer’s bill is discovered to contain an error in calculation, billing amount or other error due to the City Utility Billing Office’s inadvertent mistake or omission, the policy of the Utility Office is as follows:

• If the error is in the customer’s favor (customer owes the city money as a result of the city’s error), it is the policy of the City Utility Billing Office not to seek to penalize the affected customer by billing for previously unbilled amounts.
  
  
• If the error is in the city’s favor (The city has over-billed as a result of the city’s error), the city will issue a refund or credit, depending on the amount in question. If a credit to the account is given, the credit must be used within six (6) months. Otherwise, a check for the over-billed amount will be provided to the customer.

If a customer’s bill is discovered to contain an error or errors due to a customer’s mistake (unreported meter damage, unreported plumbing leaks, etc.), the City Utility Office will issue a corrected bill covering the unbilled amount. If the error is in the Customer’s favor, no refund or credit will be issued. In brief, the city does not penalize for its own errors, but does collect in instances where a customer is in error.

Trash Collection - Rental Units

When there are four or more dwellings within a single structure, the property owner(s) must procure a dumpster for trash collection.

The City of Dover Codified Ordinances also outline other procedures for matters not covered in this policy statement. The Utility Office reserves the right to modify, change or add to this policy statement as the need arises.

Policy.doc - updated 10/8/08