What happens when sewer bills are not paid

Failure to pay any sewer charge shall constitute a lien on the property and shall be charged interest at the rate of one percent (1%) per month until full payment is made.In the event that the legal owner of the benefitted property is financially unable to pay all of the required charges in a lump sum payment, the Director of Finance or an authorized representative may negotiate a payment agreement and execute a written promissory note with the legal owner of the benefitted property for repayment of all charges within a period which shall not exceed thirty-six (36) months.Any bill which is not paid within thirty (30) days after billing shall be deemed delinquent and the water service by the Department of Water may be discontinued five (5) business days after written notice is given to the legal owner of the benefitted property. For legal owners whose property is not served by the Department of Water, the Division of Waste Water Management may use any reasonable means to effectively terminate the discharge into the public sewer.If water or sewer service is discontinued due to an unpaid sewer bill, restoration of water or sewer service shall not occur until all delinquent charges plus interest and all charges incurred by the Division of Waste Water Management for the discontinuation and reconnection (including, but not limited to, the Department of Water's charges for re-opening, re-installation or reconnection of water service) is paid.In the event legal action is instituted for collection, the County shall be reimbursed for all costs of collection including reasonable attorneys' fee.