Legal Documents of Maryville

Whenever practical, the following process will be followed to discontinue service. However, this process may be modified as long as the intent of notification remains intact and is deemed to be more efficient in the administration of providing utility services and receiving utility payments:

1. A monthly bill will be sent to the address provided by the customer. A notice that service is subject to termination for non-payment will be printed on the monthly bill if there is a balance carried forward from previous month.
2. A courtesy letter for first time late customers will be mailed twenty (20) days after due date.
3. Written notice of termination ("final notice before disconnection of service") including rights and remedies will be mailed to customer at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled date of termination and will include all amounts due. For billing disputes, contact customer service at (865) 273-3456.
4. If customer does not make payment of all outstanding charges, notify COMU of a billing dispute, or make other acceptable arrangements by the last date of termination, COMU will proceed on schedule with termination.
5. Hearings on disputed bills will be held by appointment between the office hours of 7:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. by an appointment with the staff member designated by the director of financial services.
6. A customer requesting a hearing has the right to examine records pertaining to that customer's service.
7. The hearing will be conducted by the staff member designated by the director of financial services. After hearing the evidence, a written decision will be promptly provided to the customer.
8. A customer may appeal the decision of the designee of the director of financial services. In such case the director of financial services will hear the evidence and render a decision in writing and shall promptly provide the customer a copy of such final decision.
9. The customer has the right to a post termination hearing under the above procedures within two (2) business days following such termination.
10. Discontinuance of service shall not release the customer from liability for service already received or from liability for payment that thereafter becomes due under the minimum bill provisions or other provisions of the customer's contract.
11. A standard reconnection fee will be required for reconnection after termination for nonpayment during normal business hours. After hours a service fee will apply and payments will be accepted next business day only in the form of cash, credit card, cashier check, or money order.
12. If COMU terminates the customer's service for non-payment due to a returned check, a re-connection fee will apply plus any and all check fees. Full payment of all past due amounts and applicable fees owed to COMU must be received in order to restore service. After the third returned check, COMU will not accept a check from the customer for the next twelve (12) month period.
13. A returned check/draft fee will be assessed to a customer's account for each returned bank draft. After the third returned draft, the customer will no longer be eligible to participate in the bank draft program.
14. For a customer with hardship or other extenuating circumstances, special counseling is available. When requested by the customer, COMU may arrange to extend payment a week from last day to pay before disconnection of service. The customer is allowed to have three (3) extensions within a twelve (12) month period as long as the customer pays by the date stated on agreement and past due balance and all applicable fees are paid in full. If any agreement is paid with a returned check, no future agreements are allowed for the following twelve (12) month period.
15. COMU evaluates weather conditions daily at www.weather.com for Maryville, Tennessee, 37801, and in the event that the forecasted temperature is not forecasted to exceed twenty degrees Fahrenheit (20 F) or is forecasted to exceed one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (100 F) for heat, on that day, COMU will not disconnect service for non-payment. During such events where service is extended due to weather conditions, the service extension shall not extend past the extreme weather condition or past the customer's next due date, whichever date comes first.
16. For nonpayment of a bill in cases of documented medical hardship, such as oxygen, life support systems or dialysis machines, with a written order, Appendix C, from a Tennessee medically licensed physician, COMU will postpone disconnection procedures and install a delimiter device on customer's meter for no longer than seven (7) days. COMU limits the number of times this provision may be invoked to three (3) times per year per location/customer. This provision does not apply to CPAP machines. (1999 Code, § 21-515, as replaced by Ord. #2025-05, May 2025 Ch1_12-2-25)