Columbia Definitions ordinance (§ 27-16)

For the purpose of this article, the following words and terms shall the meanings respectively ascribed:

Billing period. The utility usage period of thirty (30) days, except for initial or final bills.

Customer. A purchaser of utility service.

Cycle billing. A system employed which results in the rendition of bills for utility service to various customers on different days of any calendar month.

Delinquent account. A bill remaining unpaid by a customer at least twenty (20) days from rendition of the bill by the department.

Department. A department of finance for the city.

Director. The director of the department of finance for the city.

Discontinuance of service. A cessation of utility service to a customer not directly requesting termination.

Estimated bill. A bill for utility services calculated using one or more estimated meter readings for the billing period.

Fuel adjustment clause. The automatic adjustment procedure which recognizes variations in the cost of fuel for electric generation or purchased power.

In dispute. Any matter regarding a customer's utility service which is the subject of a pending disagreement, or complaint by the customer.

Non-summer. The period from October 1 through May 31.

Rendition of bill by the city. The actual date on which the bill was mailed by the city.

Residential service or use. The use of electricity and/or water for household purposes and/or the provision of sewer and/or refuse services.

Settlement agreement. An agreement between a customer and the city purporting to resolve any matter in dispute between the parties, or which provides for the payment of monies not in dispute over a reasonable period of time.

Summer. The period from June 1 through September 30 of each year.

Summer surcharge. An amount calculated, for summer water rates by averaging the daily use during the billing period and then excluding from the surcharge calculation all days not falling within the summer as defined above and applying the surcharge rate to the average daily water use amount during the remaining days which exceeds one hundred twenty (120) percent of the customer's average monthly use during the months of January, February and March after that monthly average has been reduced to a daily average for use in the surcharge calculation for the current billing period.

Summer water usage. All water consumption occurring during summer as defined in this section.

Termination of service. A cessation of utility service request by the customer.

Utility services. Water, electric, sewage or refuse collection service, or any combination thereof.

Winter average consumption. The average monthly water use during the immediate preceding billing periods of January, February and March, provided, however, the following requirements shall apply:

(a) If a new customer account has no prior winter average consumption history at the property address, the winter average consumption shall be calculated based upon usage of the prior customer account at the property address to which the winter average applies until the new customer establishes a winter average consumption.

(b) If the property address of the new account has no winter average consumption in the immediate preceding billing periods of January, February and March, then the winter average consumption for the customer account at that property address shall be set at the winter average consumption for the customer's service class.

(c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no residential customer shall be assigned a winter average consumption of less than four hundred (400) cubic feet (4 ccf) per month.