§ 106-82. Illegal restoration or obtaining of electrical current.

(a)

The following practices or acts are hereby declared to be unlawful and are prohibited by the city council:

(1)

The cutting, removing or in any manner making ineffective any seal or locking band or lock on an electrical meter.

(2)

Restoration of service by any means after service has been terminated for nonpayment or obtaining electricity without making the proper deposit with the electric department or receiving proper authorization from the utilities accounting department or the electric department.

(3)

Obtaining electricity by use of jumper wires, or by any other means which bypass a metering device either partially or completely.

(4)

Damaging or tampering in any manner with any part of an electrical metering device belonging to the city.

(5)

Changing or altering the normal installed position of a metering device in any fashion which causes the normal accurate recording of utility service received to be falsified.

(6)

Obtaining electricity by use of a metering device which is not authorized and installed by the electric department.

(7)

The reception of electrical power without proper authorization from the electric department or the utilities accounting department.

(b)

Any person found guilty of violating any part of this section may be required to make restitution to the electric department for the cost of electrical services obtained in violation of this section, for the costs incurred by the electric department in calculating this amount, and for any damage caused by the violator to property of the electric department or the city.

(c)

Any person in possession of any premises as owner, occupant or tenant who is found to have an electric meter which has been tampered with or altered in violation of this section, or found to be receiving electricity as a result of some method of diversion described in this section, shall be presumed to have knowingly violated the terms of this section. Such receipt of electricity shall be deemed prima facie evidence of an intent to defraud or deprive the electric department of recovering the proper charges or payment for such electric service.

(Code 1980, § 32-102)