The rules and regulations hereinafter set forth shall constitute and be considered a part of the contract with every person supplied with gas from the gas system of the city, and every person hereinafter called the consumer, who accepts and uses gas shall be held to have consented to be bound thereby.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 1)

All applications for gas service shall be made in writing on a contract blank furnished by the city, stating fully and truly the purposes for which the services are required.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 2)

All services shall be laid by the city from the main to the property line or as agreed between the landowner and the city.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 3)

All meters shall be installed outside the foundation of the building to be serviced, except in cases where the building occupies the entire area of the property to be served and in other special cases to be approved by the city maintenance superintendent. In all exceptional cases, such meter settings shall be so arranged as to permit access to same during ordinary business hours, by the meter reader for the city. Meter settings and loops should be constructed in accordance with the standards established by the city.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 4)

The rates for gas consumed shall be according to the metered quantities and shall be paid for at the monthly schedule as set out by the city.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 5)

The consumers shall be held responsible for any damages done to meters on their premises from any cause other than ordinary wear and tear. The city shall keep all meters in repair and proper working condition without cost to the consumer except where meter is damaged by neglect or fault of the consumer in which case the city shall collect from the consumer the cost of repairing or replacing any meter damaged while supplying the consumer’s premises. No consumer shall repair, or remove any meter or break any seal on a meter, nor tamper with or interfere with the proper registration of any meter.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 6)

All meters shall remain the property of the city and may be removed from the property of the consumer at any time for the purpose of testing and repairing same or upon discontinuance of service. Meter deposits cannot be sold nor transferred by one customer to another except by consent of the city clerk and then only after payment in full is made for gas consumed to date of such transfer.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 7)

Any customer who becomes dissatisfied with the registration of the meter supplying his or her service or doubts the accuracy, may demand that the meter be tested, providing that such customer shall agree to pay the actual costs associated with the testing of the meter if the meter is found to be accurate. If, upon test, the meter shall provide to be more than three percent fast, the meter shall be repaired and replaced at no cost to the customer. If the meter shall be proven to be accurate or within three percent fast or slow, costs associated with testing and repair of the meter shall be paid by the customer, No rebate of previously paid bills shall be given the customer on account of over registration nor shall any charge be made on account of under registration of any meter so tested.

(Code 1992)

In case the meter should stop or for any reason fail to register properly, or upon failure to read any meter, the superintendent may estimate the monthly bill on the basis of the average monthly quantity consumed during the past six months.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 9)

Consumers shall keep all pipes and fixtures inside the curb connection in good repair and free from leaks at their expense. No claim for damage shall be made against the city on account of the breaking or leaking of any valves or service pipe nor will any allowance be made to any consumer on account of any leaks or waste of gas after passing through the meter.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 10)

No person shall extend pipes from one property or street number to another one.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 11)

The employees of the city shall have free access at any reasonable hour to all parts of any consumer’s premises for the purpose of making inspections or repairs or for reading meters.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 12)

The city reserves the right to shut off gas at any time for the purpose of making repairs or for any other reason and no claim for damages shall be made against the city on account of any such interruption of service.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 13)

All consumers shall give notice at least two days in advance when they wish service discontinued which notice shall be given to the city clerk.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 14)

No person shall remove, obstruct, alter or injure any pipe, connection, valve, box or meter, or in any way injure or damage any building, machinery, fixture or appurtenance of the gas system of the city or carry off or injure any pipe, tools, fixtures, supplies or apparatus or other property appertaining to the gas system of the city.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 15)

It shall be the duty of any person installing, altering or extending any gas piping, fixtures or appliances, in any building in the city to notify the gas inspector when such work is ready for inspection.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 16)

Each and every system of gas piping within buildings, together with the appliances whether new, altered, or extended, shall be inspected by the gas inspector or his or her duly authorized agent, and if such work shall be found to comply with the provisions of this article, it shall be marked as approved. In all buildings where gas has been previously used, the gas company may turn on gas without having received the certificate of inspection; providing however, that when setting the meter, the gas company shall test the pipes in the building by meter and if the pipes are found in a leaking condition, the meter shall not be set and the gas shall be left turned off.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 17)

If upon inspection, the work does not comply with the terms of this article, the party making the installation or doing the work shall be and is hereby required to make such changes as in opinion of the gas inspector are necessary to have the work comply with the terms of this article.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 18)

Before any system of gas piping is put into service, it shall be carefully tested to assure that it is gas tight. To test for tightness the piping may be filled with the city gas, air or inert gas but not with any other gas or liquid. The test shall consist of introducing air at. a pressure of three times the expected gas service pressure, the pressure to remain without a pressure drop for 30 seconds.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 19)

The installation, repair and restoration of gas piping, fittings, appliances and connections shall be done and performed in full compliance with the following rules:

(a)   Ordinary Dwellings.

(1)   No gas service pipe installed hereafter from the curb or property line to building shall be less than 1 inch inside diameter and must enter all buildings above the ground level,

(2)   Minimum pipe size for services to any or all appliances shall be not less than 3/4 inch inside diameter.

(b)   All Premises.

(1)   Appliance vent pipes shall not be smaller than the size indicated by the vent collar on the appliance to be vented; should be straight; as short as possible; and be pitched upward toward the chimney or flue at least 1/4 inch to each foot of horizontal length. The vent pipe should be of material which resists corrosion and should enter the chimney or flue 12 inches above the bottom to avoid stoppage by falling plaster or debris, Vent pipes located in unexcavated spaces beneath floors must be of tiles or transite. All joints in the tile vent pipe must be cemented so as to be airtight and capable of preventing separation of the adjoining parts.

(2)   No cast iron fittings shall be used on any gas piping system in buildings.

(3)   All fittings and connections must be of standard make and size. All pipe and pipe threads shall comply with the American Standard for Pipe Threads (A.S.A. G2.1-1945) American Standard Taper Pipe Threads. Pipe must be free from obstruction. Joint compounds (pipe dope) shall be applied sparingly and only to the male threads of the joint and shall be resistant to the action of L-P gas-air mixtures.

(4)   Unions shall be ground joint and shall not be used in concealed construction or places which are not plainly visible.

(5)   Reducing fittings only shall be used to reduce pipe size, Reducing bushings shall not be used.

(6)   In no case shall valves which need replacing from time to time be placed under floors or in any inaccessible place.

(7)   All inside pipes shall be securely fastened to the bottom or joists or other secure places with iron straps or pipe hooks.

(8)   No cement or any substance shall be used to conceal or cover any leaks or flaws in pipes, fittings, or connections, but new pipes, fittings shall be used to replace those in which holes, flaws, or defects may be found.

(9)   Exact space for the meter and union shall be left in piping.

(10) No extensions, connections or fittings consisting in whole or in part of rubber or flexible tubing shall be permitted except when the gas is used for pressing irons, mangles, blow torches, or laboratory burners. (And there shall be located on the fixed piping, at the point of connection with the flexible tubing, a valve which will serve as a shut off for such portable appliance.) Copper or aluminum gas connections having a maximum length of 36 inches may be used between fixed piping and non-portable appliances such as refrigerators, ranges and radiant heaters located in fireplaces.

(11) A master valve shall be installed on all furnace risers, and shall be at least four inches above the floor. This valve shall be of a standard gas valve.

(12) No solid dampers shall be installed in flue pipes of gas burning equipment. All dampers shall have a hole or holes with diameters not less than 1/4 of the pipe diameter.

(13) When gas appliances are disconnected, au openings In house lines shall be plugged or capped tightly so as to prevent the escape of gas, and this shall be done under the supervision of the gas inspector.

(14) All furnaces, water heaters, and space heaters above 24,000 B.T.U. rating shall be equipped with 100 percent safety shutoff control. All of the above appliances shall be vented.

(Ord. 12, Sec. 20)

(a)   Each consumer who desires to obtain gas service from the Kechi Municipal Gas System shall pay a charge or charges as set by resolution:

(b)   In addition, each such consumer shall pay all costs incident to the installation and maintenance of the gas meter or meters and gas lines necessary to provide the desired service.

(c)   A meter setting charge shall be incurred by a consumer whose premises has previously been connected to the gas system but whose gas has never been turned on or whose gas has been turned off by the municipal gas system for any reason except for city authorized repair and maintenance. This charge shall apply to new customers as well as existing customers.

(d)   A meter setting charge shall be incurred even though the consumer or developer has paid for and supplied the line tap, the riser and the meter. City maintenance personnel shall set the meter. The meter, when set, shall become the property and the responsibility of the city.

(e)   A meter reading charge shall be incurred by a consumer whose premises has previously been connected to the gas system when a change in occupancy of the premises has taken place and/or when the person responsible for the payment of the service charges for the premises changes, if the gas service has not been discontinued when the changes occur.

(f)   A hook-on charge within the city shall be incurred by a consumer whose premises are located within the corporate limits of the city and have not previously been connected to the municipal gas system when the line tap, riser and meter have not been supplied by consumer or developer.

(g)   A hook-on charge outside the city shall be incurred by a consumer whose premises are located outside the corporate limits of the city and have not previously been connected to the municipal gas system

(h)   An oversize meter charge shall be incurred by a consumer, in addition to any other applicable charge levied herein, who desires the installation of a gas meter or meters on his or her premises of any size larger than that commonly in use within the gas system for residential purposes.

(i)    Each charge levied under authority of this section shall be levied on a per meter basis.

(j)    Additional gas service to premises with gas service shall be subject to the same charge or charges and installation and maintenance costs, even though such charges and costs had previously been paid for the existing service. All meters and gas lines shall remain the property of the municipal gas system.

(Ord. 277, Sec. 1; Code 1992)

The rate to be charged by the municipal gas system for furnishing of natural gas from the system to consumers shall be established by resolution of the city governing body.

(Code 1992)