CCP 11-08-1999 - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e e ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 25, 1999 DRAFT 3 forwarded to Headquarters for review. Having the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place would streamline the process. Mayor Probst asked if it was realistic to plan for a spring ground breaking for the new City HaiL Mr. Nimmer stated this was the goal he was working towards. With regard to the statement that the decision must be moved up to Headquarters, Councilmember Larson asked if Mr. Nimmer was referring to Rock Island or Washington D.C. Mr. Nimmer stated that Rock Island has the agreement for review and the agreement will then be sent to Washington D.C. and then to the Army Corp. of Engineers. He indicated that the Memorandum of Understanding was the first step in the process and, in order to meet a spring ground breaking, it would be wise to begin the process now. PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Probst invited those present to come forward and address the Council on any items not already on the agenda. There were no public comments. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS A. Resolution #99-39, Adopting and Confirming Annual Special Assessments for Delinquent Utilities Councilmember Larson stated he wanted to pursue the manner in which the City of Arden Hills deals with delinquent utilities and the language of the Resolution. The thing that he found disturbing in the staff report was the number of people who are continuously delinquent on an annual basis. He felt that one thing that makes it attractive to continue not paying utility bills, and allow the rest of the City residents subsidize them, was the fact that the City is only charging a penalty of eight percent on the money that is due the City. He suggested that the City consider raising this penalty to a higher figure as an incentive for residents to pay their utility bills regularly. Mr. Post pointed out that there were actually two penalties on delinquent accounts. One is an eight percent past-due penalty and the other is an additional eight percent certification penalty when the account is certified to the tax rolls. Therefore, the penalty is 16 percent on the past-due balance, not eight percent. Councilmember Larson stated that this had not been obvious in the Resolution. He asked if the residents of Arden Hills are aware that the penalty is this high. Mr. Post stated that those residents faced with certification are aware of the penalty. He added that, as part of the recodification efforts by the City Council last spring, staff had recommended a streamlining of the City's ability to tum water off At this time, the City must go through an extended public hearing process. The recodification allows the City to be much more reactive to past due accounts by turning off the water.