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12-808c. Municipalities; lien for utility services. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), if any person, firm, corporation, organization, political or taxing subdivision of the state or other entity other than the state of Kansas and the federal government residing, occupying, using or operating on property to which is provided utility services by a utility owned or operated by a municipality, neglects, fails or refuses to pay the fees or charges for such service, the unpaid fees or charges shall constitute a lien upon the property to which such utility service is provided. The amount of the unpaid fees or charges shall be certified by the governing body of the municipality to the county clerk of the county in which such property is located, to be placed on the tax roll for collection, subject to the same penalties and collected in the same manner as other taxes are collected by law. The governing body may refuse the delivery of such utility service as otherwise permitted by law until such time as such charges are fully paid.

(b) A lien shall not attach to property for unpaid utility fees or charges, when the utility service has been contracted for by a tenant and not by the landlord or owner of the property to which such service is provided.

(c) Except as provided by this subsection, no municipality which provides utility services shall refuse to contract with a tenant for provision of such services to property occupied by such tenant. A municipality shall not be required to contract with any person if such person has outstanding or unpaid charges for utility services provided by such municipality.

(d) A municipality may require a single deposit to be paid by a customer for all utility services, except that such deposit shall not exceed an amount equal to the expected average bills for a three month period for such utility services.

(e) When used in this section:

(1) "Municipality" means any city, county, township, water district, improvement district or other political or taxing subdivision of the state or any agency or instrumentality of a municipality which provides utility services but does not include any rural water district organized pursuant to K.S.A. 82a-612 et seq., and amendments thereto.

(2) "Utility services" means refuse, trash, garbage or other solid waste collection and disposal, sewer, water, gas and electric power services.

History: L. 2006, ch. 95, § 1; July 1.