For City Council Meeting [June 12, 2018]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Robb Steel, Interim City Administrator
FROM: Ron Carr, Interim Finance Director
Title
Request City Council to Set a Public Hearing for June 26, 2018 to receive public comment regarding the placement of charges on the County Property Tax Roll for Delinquent Sewer Payments.
Body
BACKGROUND:
The City of Rialto provides sewer services throughout the entire City and areas of Bloomington. Where the City provides water service, both water and sewer services are billed together. For delinquent accounts, the City is able to impose penalties and shut off water services to promote payment, per Rialto Municipal Code section 12.08.
However, there are areas of the City where either the West Valley Water District or the Fontana Water Company provides water services and the City only bills for sewer service. The sewer-only accounts have high delinquency rates, as the City cannot disconnect services for lack of payment.
In order to more effectively collect sewer-only accounts, the Rialto Municipal Code section 12.08.201 was amended to allow for placement of delinquent charges on property tax bills through the County Tax Collector's Office. The Ordinance approved on June 19, 2007 provides a method for collecting delinquent accounts similar to the lien placement process used for solid waste delinquent accounts.
On August 9, 2016 the City Council approved the beginning of the amnesty period for the tax lien process. The action was as follows:
Beginning in Fiscal Year 17/18, customers will be given an amnesty period and must pay the base charge amount in full before the July 31 deadline to receive any delinquency fee waivers.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
To meet the County submittal deadline of August 10, 2018, the City must take the following steps:
* By June 30, 2018, send notification letters to the delinquent accounts on the list of properties alerting them of the City's plan ...
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