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A. Any person objecting to any water, sewer or surface and stormwater charge or fee imposed under this title may request a hearing before the city’s utility hearing board (the “board”) by filing a written request with the finance director within 10 business days of notice of the charge, or such later date provided herein. The city shall make forms available for that purpose. If the objection relates to a leak or break in a water service line or utility billing error, the objecting party shall first apply to the finance director for an adjustment pursuant to BMC 15.04.095. The finance director’s written decision under BMC 15.04.095 may be appealed to the utility hearing board within 10 business days of the date of the finance director’s decision.

B. Services shall not be shut off while a hearing is pending. However, the finance director may require that payment of any outstanding balance, or portion thereof, be made pending the outcome of the hearing.

C. The members of the hearing board shall be the finance director, the director of public works, and the assistant directors of public works, or their designees. The city attorney or a representative of the city attorney’s office shall serve as the board’s legal advisor.

D. At the hearing, the board will consider the objections made by the applicant and will correct, revise, raise, lower, change, or modify the charge or fee, or set aside the charge or fee, as deemed appropriate by the board and as allowed by law; provided, however, that the board shall not cause a backcharge, refund or credit to be issued to correct billings for a billing cycle that ended more than one year prior to the date that the city discovered the error or received the customer’s application for the adjustment, whichever occurred first.

E. Decisions of the board may be appealed to the city’s hearing examiner by filing a written request with the office of the hearing examiner within 10 business days of the date of the board’s written decision. [Ord. 2021-04-014 § 2; Ord. 2002-10-069 § 32; Ord. 2001-02-007; Ord. 10032, 1990; Ord. 9618 § 8, 1986].