A. Billing Entity: The city council hereby authorizes the fire district to bill and collect from the service recipient the service charge imposed by this chapter. All such billing shall comply with the provisions of this chapter and the city council reserves the right to review the billing practices of the fire district as it determines is appropriate.
B. Billing Statement: The fire district shall prepare a detailed billing statement of the service charge which shall, at a minimum, contain all of the following information: name and address of the service recipient; location, date, time and description of the fire service provided; the amount of time spent on the call; a detailed description of each item damaged during the call. The fire district shall provide the city a copy of the billing statement no later than when it is sent to the service recipient. The city council shall, to the extent required by the Minnesota government data practices act, treat any not public data contained in the billing statement consistent with the applicable designation of the data.
C. Those Charged: Service recipients will be billed, and shall be required to pay, the service charge incurred for the delivery of fire service. The service charge shall be billed to a service recipient even if that person did not request the service if the fire district personnel in charge of the scene reasonably determine the person or property required fire service. All service recipients will be billed whether or not the fire service is covered by insurance. Any portion of the service charge not covered by a party's insurance remains the obligation of the service recipient.
D. Payment: Service recipients billed for fire service shall have thirty five (35) days to pay the bill in full from the date of the billing statement. If the service charge is not paid by that time, it will be considered delinquent and the fire district shall send notice of delinquency to service recipient, with a copy to the city.
E. Delinquent Amounts: If the service charge remains unpaid for thirty (30) days after the date of the delinquency notice, collection of the service charge shall be transferred to the city. The city will use all practical and reasonable legal means to collect the service charge which may include, but is not limited to, collection pursuant to Minnesota statutes, sections 366.012, and 415.01. The service recipient shall be liable for all collection costs incurred by the city including, but not limited to, administrative costs, reasonable attorney fees, and court costs. Such collection costs actually incurred by the city shall be considered part of the service charge and are collectible as provided in this chapter.
F. Collect With Property Taxes: The city may collect any unpaid service charge under Minnesota statutes, sections 366.012, and 415.01 by certifying the amount to the auditor of any county in Minnesota in which the service recipient owns real property. On or before September 15, the city shall provide the service recipient written notice of its intent to certify the unpaid service charge amount for collection together with the taxes levied on the service recipient's property. The city shall then certify the amount to the county auditor on or before October 15. The amount certified shall be subject to the same penalties, interest, and other conditions provided for the collection of property taxes. The county auditor shall remit to the city all service charge amounts collected on behalf of the city. When fire service is provided later in the year such that the required notice and certification cannot be completed by the applicable deadline, the city shall provide notice and certify the amount for the following property tax collection cycle. (Ord. 265, 4-21-2014)