Texas Local Government Code 552.911 – Duties of Water Service Provider to an Area Served by Sewer Service of Certain Political Subdivisions
(a) This section applies only to an area:
(1) that is located in a county that has a population of more than 1.3 million; and
(2) in which a customer’s sewer service is provided by a municipality or conservation and reclamation district that also provides water service to other customers and the same customer’s water service is provided by another entity.
(b) For each person the water service provider serves in an area to which this section applies, the water service provider shall provide the municipality or district with any relevant customer information so that the municipality or district may bill users of the sewer service directly and verify the water consumption of users. Relevant customer information provided under this section includes the name, address, and telephone number of the customer of the water service provider, the monthly meter readings of the customer, monthly consumption information, including any billing adjustments, and certain meter information, such as brand, model, age, and location.
Terms Used In Texas Local Government Code 552.911
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Municipality: means a general-law municipality, home-rule municipality, or special-law municipality. See Texas Local Government Code 1.005
- Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Population: means the population shown by the most recent federal decennial census. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) The municipality or district shall reimburse the water service provider for its reasonable and actual incremental costs for providing services to the municipality or district under this section. Incremental costs are limited to only those costs that are in addition to the water service provider’s costs in providing its services to its customers, and those costs must be consistent with the costs incurred by other water utility providers. Only if requested by the wastewater provider, the water service provider must provide the municipality or district with documentation certified by a certified public accountant of the reasonable and actual incremental costs for providing services to the municipality or district under this section.
(d) A municipality or conservation and reclamation district may provide written notice to a person to whom the municipality’s or district’s sewer service system provides service if the person has failed to pay for the service for more than 90 days. The notice must state the past due amount owed and the deadline by which the past due amount must be paid or the person will lose water service. The notice may be sent by mail or hand-delivered to the location at which the sewer service is provided.
(e) The municipality or district may notify the water service provider of a person who fails to make timely payment after the person receives notice under Subsection (d). The notice must indicate the number of days the person has failed to pay for sewer service and the total amount past due. On receipt of the notice, the water service provider shall discontinue water service to the person.
(f) This section does not apply to a nonprofit water supply or sewer service corporation created under Chapter 67, Water Code, or a district created under Chapter 65, Water Code.