10-25-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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STAFF REPORT TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of City Council FROM: Colleen Schoenecker, Utility Billing Clerk Lisa Krieger, Customer Service Specialist REVIEWED: Sam Magureanu, Finance Director DATE: October 25, 2023 RE: Certify Unpaid Utilities and False Alarm Fees ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED Certify the 2023 unpaid utility bills totaling $107,389.00, and unpaid false alarm fees totaling $400.00 to the payable 2024 property taxes. BACKGROUND Letters were mailed to 170 delinquent utility accounts totaling $139,661.16 on September 20, 2023. The letter included city contact information for questions and assistance. To date, 50 of these accounts paid the required balance to avoid certification. It is proposed to certify the remaining 120 accounts totaling $107,389.00. Multiple letters and emails have been sent to two properties and property owners that have unpaid false alarms fees. Properties are not charged for the first two false alarms each year, but three or more false alarms in a calendar year are fined an increasing amount depending on how many false alarms occur. One property has $150 in fees from five false alarms occurring through July 2023 and another property had nine false alarms and has not paid the $200 fine from the ninth alarm that occurred in September 2022. Staff proposes to certify the false alarm fees to the payable 2024 property taxes. Updated 10-24-2023: The business at 2900 Rice Street, #310, paid their false alarm fee. A $25.00 certification fee is added to each unpaid bill to cover the certification costs from Ramsey County. RECOMMENDED ACTION Staff recommends the Council approve certifying the attached list of unpaid utility bills and false alarm fee to the payable 2024 property taxes.