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City Council Meeting Minutes July 7, 2020 <br />return to normal utility billing operations for non-payment. <br />Ms. Runkle stated there is now a different approach to helping citizens who <br />need assistance in paying their utility bills. <br />(CAI) The history of procedures prior to March 2020: <br />• Customers have 18 days to pay their Electric, Water, Waste/Water, Drainage <br />(Stormwater) and Garbage bills <br />• If no payment has been made, customers receive a late notice <br />• Generally, after 28 days, service is terminated <br />• A 10% late fee is charged to customers' accounts <br />• City directs low income and any other residential customers to a variety of <br />social service agencies, if people need help <br />• City works with both residential and commercial customers on payment <br />plans, if necessary <br />March 2020 to Current: <br />• City halted all termination processes, including sending accounts to <br />collections <br />• Need to develop a plan to help customers and ensure our utilities do not <br />become unstable <br />• Late fees are removed, upon request; system charges automatically, we have <br />the technology to remove late fees <br />• In recommendations staff suggests removal of all late fees from March <br />through December 2020; will cost approximately $20,000 across all utilities <br />• More commercial than residential customers ask for the late fee removal; <br />probably a case of not knowing they can ask. <br />Ms. Runkle stated residential customers tend to be running late on their bills, <br />but only 30% of the customers have not paid their bills after three months. <br />• 140 of the 153 customers have deposits of $33,000 <br />• We are holding money customers could use to pay their bills <br />45 customers are 91 days + longer = $7,400 <br />91 customers are 60-90 days = $13,000 <br />153 customers are 0-60 days late = $75,000 outstanding <br />Ms. Runkle stated that commercial customers have only 17% of this cycle's <br />commercial customers (3) are three months in arrears <br />• 12 of the 17 customers have deposits of $2,800 <br />• Commercial businesses could use their deposit to pay bills <br />3 customers 91 days + longer = $828 <br />17 customers 0 — 60 days late = $21,000 outstanding <br />City of San Marcos Page 19 <br />