Malta City Council adopts guidelines for utility bill late fee adjustments

The Malta City Council recently adopted new guidelines for water and sewer bill late fee adjustments, accepted the resignation of a veteran employee, began the annexation procedure to bring a new home into the city limits to which city services have been extended and indicated efforts are still underway to find the source of sewer gas which occasionally plagues some downtown businesses.

At its regular council meeting last week, the council adopted the recommendations of three clerks who work in the city office and have to deal with the public over the payment of sewer and water bills.

The mayor and council had earlier asked the three clerks to come up with recommendations after receiving a letter from a resident complaining about a late fee on the bill received by her brother following his death. She had tried to get the fee taken off but was told by a clerk she’d have to go to the city council. The check to pay the bill was found in the man’s checkbook.

Mayor Shyla Jones suggested the clerks be allowed to suggest guidelines so they would have power to deal with late fee complaints without having to refer them to the city council. She said the current system was unfair to the clerks.

“This way we’re not picking or choosing” who gets an adjustment, said City Clerk-Treasurer Carolyn Schmoeckel.

The guidelines adopted by the council provide:

--An adjustment will be given if the account holder has a death in the immediate family.

--An adjustment will be given if the account holder has passed away and family is taking care of details.

--An adjustment will be given if the account holder has had major surgery or is hospitalized.

--An account holder will be granted only one adjustment per situation(s).

--No adjustments will be given by the office for late payments that were “mailed” on time, but not received on time.

--Each adjustment will be documented by the office staff with a monthly report submitted for council review.

During public comment earlier in the meeting, Malta resident Mike Lang expressed his concern about the 10 percent late fee imposed by the city saying it amounted to 120% APR. “In my business I could charge 24 percent,” he added.

Lang said he thinks the fee is “a little high” and that he worries about the elderly.

Mayor Jones said the guidelines being adopted don’t address the late fee which is set by resolution.

The mayor added that adjustments won’t be made just because a citizen mails their bill too late to meet the deadline. “We can’t control the mail,” she said, noting the city has a drop box where bills can be deposited 24 hours a day.

Lang also raised the question of giving citizens the option to pay their utility bills on line by computer in which money is transferred electronically from the person’s bank account to the city account without writing a physical check. Clerk-Treasurer Schmoeckel said the city currently isn’t set up to do that. Citizens do have the option of paying their bills though firms such as Bill Pay but in those cases the firm actually makes out a check and mails it to the city office.

Mayor Jones said she likes the idea.