In the event any person is aggrieved by the amount of one hundred dollars or more in excess of the amount billed for monthly water service, he or she may, within fifteen days of the postmark on said bill, petition the city council in writing to the utilities clerk for a downward adjustment to his or her bill. Upon receipt of such petition, the utilities clerk shall notify the public works director and the utilities committee and schedule a meeting to consider the petition for downward adjustment. The utilities committee may consult with the city public works director or his designee regarding the matter and shall, upon deliberation and oral findings following the meeting, make a recommendation to the entire city council to grant a downward adjustment only upon good cause shown. No downward adjustment will be considered for leaks within the primary residential or commercial building; however, adjustment for leaks within crawl spaces may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Any bill granted a downward adjustment by the city council shall not exceed five hundred dollars in relief and shall be presented to the mayor for his signature on the face thereof. Notice of the reduction shall be provided in writing by the city to the customer. No ratepayer may petition the city council more than one time per twelve-month period for such a downward adjustment.

In the event that city-maintained water pipes prevent water service to a customer’s water meter due to cold or frozen weather for more than two days (forty-eight hours), the city council may, upon the recommendation of the city public works director and the utilities committee, provide equitable relief to the customer by crediting up to one month’s water fees which include water base rate fee, water reserve fee, and applicable water taxes for every two to thirty days of interrupted service, or multiples thereof. In the event any neighbor assists a customer with frozen, city-maintained water service by providing water through that neighbor’s meter (i.e., through the use of a hose or similar apparatus), that neighbor will be allocated double the volume of water in the base rate for the same period of interrupted service.