CHAPTER 112

GENERAL UTILITY SERVICES POLICIES

112.01 General Utility Line Construction Methods
112.02 Meters for Gas, Electric and Water Utilities
112.03 Utility Line Extensions, Relocations and Modifications

112.01 GENERAL UTILITY LINE CONSTRUCTION METHODS.

Wire Installations on City Utility Poles. No wire, cable, or other attachments shall be permitted on any City-owned pole without approval of the City, a pole attachment agreement, and the payment of rents as required by said agreement.
Excavations. No excavation in any street, avenue, alley or public grounds for any pipe, wire, or other purpose shall be made without first receiving a digging permit from the Public Works Department. Said permit shall be applied for 72 hours before any planned excavations. Emergency excavations shall be requested immediately after it is determined public property excavation is necessary.
Protecting the Public. The contractor shall be fully responsible to provide, erect, and maintain at all times, until final completion of his or her work, suitable and requisite barriers, signs and warning lights as may be necessary to insure the safety of the public and shall assume full responsibility for all damages sustained by any person or property due to carrying on of his work. All contractors will be required to provide the City with proof in insurance.
Inspection of Lateral/Service Line. Before any service line pipe is covered for water or sanitary sewer, it must be inspected by the Public Works Director. Any service pipe which fails to meet the requirements of these service rules or any other ordinances of the City shall not be accepted and must be corrected or such service will be not be provided or discontinued and the installer and owner will be subject to a municipal infraction.
Backfilling of Public Property. For backfill, only materials approved by the City shall be used. Pipes shall be backfilled completely under the pipe and along the haunches in uniform layers not exceeding six inches in depth up each side and up to a level of two feet over the top of the pipe. Above this, backfill shall be laid and tamped in twelve-inch lifts. If located in the street surfaced area, the last 12-inch lift shall be road gravel. Each layer placed shall be uniformly mechanically tamped and compacted, so as to eliminate the possibility of vertical or lateral displacement. This tamping shall be required the full depth of the trench in the public right-of-way. Paving materials and dirt/grass shall be renewed or replaced at the owner’s expense to the same condition in the right-of-way as existed prior to construction. If a concrete street, the concrete shall be pinned into the adjoining concrete and shall match the existing grade and thickness of the street/sidewalk concrete with a minimum of six-inch thickness for the street and four-inch for a sidewalk. A chip and seal or hot mix repair for a non-concrete street shall be done by the City Street Department for $50.00.
Interruption of Service. If the Utility deems it necessary, the Utility may temporarily interrupt utility service to any customer or group of customers for the purpose of making repairs, changes or improvements upon any part of the Utility’s system. When practical, scheduled interruptions will occur during a period of minimal usage or will be pre-arranged and advance notice will be given to the customer.

112.02 METERS FOR GAS, ELECTRIC AND WATER UTILITIES.

Meter Ownership; Installation. The Utility shall install, own, and maintain a meter of a type appropriate to the nature of the service, for each applicable utility service. Meters shall not be required, however, where consumption can be readily computed without metering or where the service is of a temporary nature and the cost of meter installation would be unreasonable. A meter seal shall be placed on all meters such that the seal must be broken to gain entry. Private meters up to the point of demarcation (Utility meter or RSU) are prohibited for any City utility service. Should a private meter exist, the City shall replace it with a utility meter at no charge to the account holder.
Individual Metering. Individual metering shall be required on multi-occupancy premises in which units are separately leased or owned, except that the utility may provide single meters for the following:
Service for central heating, cooling, water heating or ventilation systems;
Where individual metering is impractical, unreasonable or uneconomical as determined by the City;
Where sub-metering or resale was permitted prior to July 12, 1966; or
Where resale as an undefined part of a fixed rental or lease payment was permitted prior to January 1, 1979.

Separately metered utilities shall not be interconnected (i.e. two separate gas services being connected is prohibited).

Special Metering Installation. The utility reserves the right, at its option and expense, to place special meters or instruments on the premises of a customer for the purpose of special tests of all or part of the customer’s load or equipment or for remote or automated meter reading.
Meter Register. Where it is necessary to apply a multiplier to the meter readings, the multiplier shall be marked on the face of the meter register or stenciled in weather resistant paint upon the front cover of the meter. Customers shall have continuous visual access to meter registers at the meter except where the utility has experienced vandalism to windows in the protective enclosures, where access would create a safety hazard, or where access to tenant metering installations is restricted by a building owner.
Meter Testing. All meters and associated devices shall be inspected, tested, adjusted and certified to be within an allowable tolerance of error, prior to being placed in service. Subsequent periodic testing shall be in accordance with the schedules and tolerances required by the manufacturer, as can be accomplished by Utility personnel. Customer-requested tests shall be provided in accordance with Section 111.07 of this Code of Ordinances.
Meter Location. All meters shall be located in a proper, handy and accessible place approved by the City. For new homes and businesses, gas and electric meters shall be outside the structure, except that electric meters may be placed inside a structure if the account holder pays for a remote. Water meters shall generally be inside the home, in basement if possible. However the meter may be located outside a building, provided the account holder shall furnish and install at his or her expense a meter box, approved by the Water Supervisor, with proper extension dial near the surface of the ground.

112.03 UTILITY LINE EXTENSIONS, RELOCATIONS AND MODIFICATIONS.

Main/Distribution System Line Extensions. The Utility shall make all standard utility main/distribution line extensions in accordance with terms and conditions established by resolution of the Council. The main distribution system will be constructed along existing public roads, streets and alleys and, where practical, along the rear of the customer’s lot. Underground or overhead construction shall be established within the terms and conditions established by resolution of the Council.
Lateral/Service Line Extensions. Water and sewer service lines up to the main including the tap in connection are the responsibility of the customer. Electric, gas and telecommunications lines shall be the responsibility of the City. The route of all service line extensions and location of any meters will be determined by the City, working with the property owner.
New Subdivisions. The Utility must approve plats for any new subdivisions. Line extensions to the newly plotted and approved subdivisions of two or more lots may require an aid in construction by the owner or developer. The amount of the aid shall be established by resolution of the Council and shall be based upon actual construction cost.
Special Underground Service. The Utility may, upon request of a customer, provide underground service to a customer currently being served with overhead service. In providing such service to residential or nonresidential customers, the utility shall construct, own and maintain all facilities up to and including the meter and meter socket or RSU for telecommunications service. The customer shall be responsible for the cost of converting from overhead service to underground service on his or her facilities. The utility shall convert said services as time and resources permit. The utility may, upon its choice, install underground service to a customer. The cost of installing underground service from overhead to underground for the utility services would be paid by the utility in this case, including hiring an electrician or utilizing City staff to convert the owner facilities. This does not apply to utilities not owned by the City.
Nonresidential Low Use Extensions. Low use utility service at sites where no residence exists, such as but not limited to services for isolated water pumps, cribs, drier, feedlots, garages and so forth, may require a contribution in aid of construction equal to the total cost of installing service as determined by the Public Works Director.
Temporary Line Extensions. Where service is likely to be temporary or where it is provided on an emergency basis, the utility may require a contribution in aid of construction equal to the total cost of installing and removing the service, less the cost of reusable materials. Any deposit in excess of actual cost will be refunded. Utility may also require a customer deposit pursuant to Section 111.02 of this Code of Ordinances for any estimated usage.
Line Extension Costs. The Utility will construct broadband hybrid fiber optic and coaxial cable facilities at its own cost to all areas of the City when the density of homes meets or exceeds ten homes within 1,320 cable-bearing strand feet. When a service extension is requested in an area of the City in which the required density of homes is not met, the Utility will absorb the first $100.00 per customer of the extension cost. The Utility reserves the right to require payment in advance for the customer’s portion of the line extension cost. Construction of line extensions will be completed promptly, and no later than six months after the date service was requested. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the Utility from constructing facilities in new housing developments or other areas of the City, whether or not the density test is met, if in the sole judgment of the Utility such construction will facilitate the efficient future expansion of services.
Relocation of Utility Facilities. In those cases where the relocation of Utility facilities is mutually beneficial, the cost may be shared on a basis agreeable to the customer or property owner and the Utility. Only authorized employees may remove, cut, raise or change any facilities belonging to the Utility. The customer or property owner shall reimburse the Utility for the cost of relocating its facilities under the following conditions:
Structural changes in a building that will result in Utility facilities being damaged, inaccessible or unsafe.
Modifications for the convenience of a customer or property owner, which in the judgment of the Utility, does not result in mutual benefits.

Editor’s Note:

For definitions of terms used in this chapter, see Chapter 110.

For Supplemental Water Service Policies, see Chapter 90.

For Supplemental Sanitary Sewer Service Policies, see Chapter 95 and Chapter 96.

For Customer Service Policies, see Chapter 111.

For Utility Rates and Fees, see Chapter 113.

Chapter 112

CHAPTER 112

GENERAL UTILITY SERVICES POLICIES