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<br /> <br /> STAFF REPORT <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />TO: Mayor Fischer and Members of City Council <br /> <br />FROM: Colleen Schoenecker, Utility Billing Clerk <br /> Lisa Krieger, Customer Service Specialist <br /> <br />REVIEWED: Sam Magureanu, Finance Director <br /> <br />DATE: October 23, 2024 <br /> <br />RE: Certify Unpaid Utilities False Alarm Fees and Administrative Fines to Property <br />Taxes <br /> <br />ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED <br />Certify the 2024 unpaid utility bills totaling $206,023.07, false alarm fees totaling $1,000.00, and <br />administrative fines totaling $925.00 to the payable 2025 property taxes. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br /> <br />City Utility Bills <br />In accordance with city code, letters were mailed on September 23, 2024, to 200 delinquent <br />utility accounts for service prior to July 1, 2024, and included city contact information for <br />questions and assistance. The total balance includes late fees and the $25.00 certification fee. <br />After receiving letters, several accounts paid the required balance to avoid certification. The <br />final list will be updated before certification to account for these recent payments. <br /> <br />False Alarm Fees <br />Multiple letters and emails have been sent to four properties and property owners that have <br />unpaid false alarm fees. Properties are not charged for the first two false alarms each year, but <br />three or more false alarms in a calendar year are fined an increasing amount depending on how <br />many false alarms occur. Staff proposes to certify the false alarm fees to the payable 2025 <br />property taxes. <br /> <br />Administrative Fines <br />Code Enforcement staff has addressed multiple code violations at a property in Little Canada <br />over the past two years related to junk, garbage, and inoperable vehicles. While there has been <br />some improvement, there continue to be several unresolved issues and violations related to junk <br />and garbage on the property. City staff has mailed several letters and attempted to contact the <br />property owners directly. The city code was amended in 2023 to include administrative fines for <br />any code violations and allow these fines to be assessed to the property if unpaid. <br /> <br />