Agenda Packets - 1984/08/13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MEMO TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Finance Director -Treasurer Brager DATE: August 13, 1984 SUBJECT: Disputed Late Charge Previously Council directed staff to forgive the penalty or late charge on a customer's utility bill on a one-time basis. That policy has worked well. It has generated goodwill and has not presented a problem until ncw. On June 16, Mary Peterson, 2294 Bronson Drive, telephoned and stated that she had received notice that her first quarter 1984 billing was past d:2e; that this was the first billing she had received for that quarter and that she did not feel she should be billed a late charge. I advised her I would look into the matter. Utility Accountant Dorothy Sandgren advised me that she had checked our billing records and that: 1. The correct mailing address for Mary Peterson is in the billing system, 2. A bill was prepared for Ms. Peterson, 3. Postal records regarding the number of bills mailed agreed with our records regarding the number of bills given to the Post Office for delivery, 4. A call to the New BrighLon Post Office indicates that no complaints regarding nondelivery of mail have been filed with the office or the carrier; that the carrier states he has not encountered any problems in delivery of mail along the route. The City, as does NSP, N.N. Bell, and AT & T Information Systems, must consider mailing of the bill evidence that it was received by the customer. As a practical matter we have no alternative. Utility Accountant Sandgren further advised that Ms. Peterson had previously been forgiven a late charge for the fourth quarter 1982 billing. Since the policy is to forgive a penalty or late charge on a one- time basis, I had no alternative but to advise Ms. Peterson that this late charge could not be forgiven and that it was considered a valid charge to her account. Ms. Peterson still does not feel that the late charge is a valid charge to her account. She feels that the City should "...differen- tiate between a bad credit risk and a long time resident whose credit has a high rating. What would be my purpose to dispute a small amount like $3.96 except for the principle of the thing?"