NRS354.59887. Limitations on fees applicable to public utilities: Rate; quarterly payments; collection; penalties and interest on delinquent amounts; apportionment among customers of public utility.

  If a city or county adopts an ordinance imposing or increasing a fee:

      1.  The entire amount of any fee to which the ordinance applies must be:

      (a) Imposed at the same rate upon each public utility that provides similar services within the jurisdiction of the city or county; and

      (b) Paid by the public utility to the city or county in legal tender of the United States or in a check, draft or note that is payable in legal tender of the United States.

      2.  The city or county:

      (a) Shall require each public utility to which the ordinance applies to pay quarterly the fees imposed upon it that it has collected from its customers.

      (b) May, to the extent it determines that it is impracticable to collect from a public utility to which the ordinance applies any of the fees imposed upon the public utility, collect any of those fees directly from the customers of the public utility located within the jurisdiction of the city or county in proportion to the amount of revenue the public utility derives from each of those customers.

      (c) May, except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, assess combined penalties and interest of not more than 2 percent per month of the delinquent amount of any fee to which the ordinance applies. If a city annexes any land, it may not assess any penalties or interest pursuant to this paragraph regarding any fee imposed for the operation of a public utility within the annexed land during any period:

             (1) Before the effective date of the annexation; or

             (2) More than 30 days before the city provides the public utility with notice of the annexation,

Ê whichever occurs later.

      (d) May provide, by ordinance, that the fees imposed upon the public utility may be collected from a governmental entity of the State if that entity is a customer of the public utility.

      3.  A public utility to which the ordinance applies shall, except for any fees collected by the city or county pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 2, collect the aggregate of all its fees imposed by the city or county directly from its customers located within the jurisdiction of the city or county in proportion to the amount of revenue the public utility derives from each of those customers. The fees may be shown on a customer’s bill individually or collectively.

      4.  A public utility to which the ordinance applies shall not collect from a customer any penalties or interest assessed pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 2.

      (Added to NRS by 1995, 2189; A 1997, 2744)