All water passing through a meter must be paid
for.
A schedule of water rates is on file at the
Yarmouth Water Department and the Yarmouth Town Clerk's office.
The property owner shall be responsible for
the payment of all water bills. When a property which uses municipal
water is sold, it is the responsibility of the new property owner
to complete a water service transfer form. Failure to complete the
water service transfer form will not relieve the new property owner
of the responsibility for payment of all current or outstanding water
bills. Water service transfer forms are available at the Water Department
office and the Town Collector's office.
The property owner shall be responsible for
ensuring that the most current water billing address is on file at
the Water Department. The Water Department will not be bound by water
bills rendered under mistake of fact.
Bills for all water services will be rendered
quarterly. Charges for excess water, for the previous year's consumption,
will be made annually on the first fiscal quarter bill, or at such
other intervals as the Commissioners elect, and must be paid within
30 days of the date of issue.
Checks for payment of water bills should be
made payable to the Town of Yarmouth, Town Collector. If receipts
are desired for mail-in payments, a self-addressed stamped envelope
must accompany the remittance.
Requests for water bill abatements must be filed
in writing at the Water Department office, 102 Union Street, Yarmouth
Port, Massachusetts 02675, within 30 days of issuance of the water
bill.
[Amended 2-28-1994]
Water bills not paid within 30 days of issue
date will be deemed overdue and will be subject to interest at the
rate specified in MGL c. 59, § 57. When a water bill is
deemed overdue, the property owner will be issued a demand notice.
If the overdue water bill, interest charges and demand charges are
not then paid within the specified time, the account will be subject
to termination of water service or lien procedures at the option of
the Department. Failure of the property owner to receive a water bill
or demand notice does not relieve the owner in any way from liability
for payment.
Any water service terminated for nonpayment
of a water bill or inaccessibility to a water meter will be subject
to a water service reactivation charge. The rate for water service
reactivation is on file at the Town Clerk's office.
Liens for unpaid water charges will be placed
against the real estate property where the water is consumed in accordance
with MGL c. 40, § 42A.
A.
A claim for vacancy must be filed in writing at the
Water Department, 102 Union Street, Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts 02675.
A structure will be considered vacant when it meets the following
criteria:
B.
A structure that has been approved for vacancy will have the water service turned off and the water meter removed by the Yarmouth Water Department. Any water service that is reactivated within the one-year (three-hundred-sixty-five-day) period as referenced in Subsection A(2) will be assessed all quarterly charges which would have accrued from day of vacancy.
[Added 4-29-1997]
All water service account charges will cease
to accrue when the structure is deemed to be uninhabitable by the
Yarmouth Building Inspector or his designee as a result of a natural
disaster. Water service account charges will resume when the structure
is deemed to be habitable by the Yarmouth Building Inspector or his
designee. Reason: The Water Department needs a method to stop water
charges to structures which have had fires, flooding or other natural
disasters.
