15.2-5151 - Water utilities may act as billing agents. - Virginia Statutes

§ 15.2-5151. Water utilities may act as billing agents.

Any public utility supplying water to the owners, lessees or tenants of realestate which is or will be served by any sewer or sewage disposal system ofan authority may act as the billing and collecting agent of the authority forany rates, fees, rents or charges imposed by the authority for the servicerendered by such sewer or sewage disposal system. Such water utility shallfurnish to the authority copies of its regular periodic meter reading andwater consumption records and other pertinent data as may be required for theauthority to act as its own billing and collecting agent. The authority shallpay to the water utility the reasonable additional cost of clerical servicesand other expenses incurred by the water utility in rendering such servicesto the authority. Upon the inability of the authority and the water utilityto agree upon the terms and conditions under which the water utility will actas the billing and collecting agent of the authority, either or both maypetition the State Corporation Commission for a determination of the termsand conditions under which the water company shall act as the billing andcollecting agent of the authority. If the water utility acts as the billingand collecting agent of an authority it shall set forth separately on itsbills the rates, fees or charges imposed by the authority. However, both thewater and sewage disposal charges shall be payable to and collected by thewater utility, and payment of either shall be refused unless both are paid.The authority shall pay to the water utility the cost of shutting off anywater service on account of nonpayment of the sewage disposal charge. In theevent of such discontinuance of water service the water service shall not bereestablished until the sewage disposal charge has been paid.

(Code 1950, § 15-764.12; 1950, p. 1318; 1954, c. 554; 1958, cc. 400, 402;1960, c. 430; 1962, cc. 130, 623, § 15.1-1250; 1968, cc. 355, 556; 1970, cc.444, 617; 1972, c. 161; 1979, c. 280; 1980, c. 159; 1981, c. 610; 1983, c.422; 1984, c. 554; 1994, c. 477; 1997, c. 587.)