Excepting taxes, assessments, and water utility bills due the city, the Finance Officer shall:
(A) Send or cause to be sent by the Administrative Department, a "second notice" or 30-day statement including new interest and penalty charges as allowable by law for any unpaid account. Penalty and interest charges, in compliance with truth-in-lending laws, shall be charged 30 days from the billing date as allowed for by law. Proper truth-in-lending disclosures shall be printed on invoice as follows:
"A finance charge of 18%, annual percentage rate, will be added to any amount, on this invoice, remaining unpaid thirty (30) days after the date of this invoice."
(B) Send a report to the departments monthly indicating which accounts are over 60 days overdue. Departments shall review the report and forward, at their discretion, departmental billings subject to this section to the Finance Officer (excepting EPD's sewer usage bills, which are forwarded to the Tax Collector) for submission to a contracted collection agency for collection. The Finance Officer shall forward such accounts to a collection agency selected pursuant to the provisions of the Procurement Code, which agency shall resort to the proper legal methods of collection. Agency costs incurred in the collection of the accounts and any interest and penalty charges allowable by law shall be included in the amount collected.
(C) Upon notification from the collection agency that all efforts have been exhausted, for any amount (customer) balance remaining over $1,000 be forwarded to the City Solicitor's office for further action in Small Claims Court. City Solicitor shall notify Finance of judgement for proper recording.
(D) Upon notification of bankruptcy, agency fees not paid by the customer, accounts over the three year statute of limitations, or accounts determined to be uncollectible, by the collection agency that remain under $999 be immediately placed on the Write Off List. Write offs will be submitted to the Committee on Accounts quarterly. The Committee on Accounts shall have the discretion to either approve the requested list or determine on a case-by-case basis if further method of collection/legal action is appropriate for any particular account.
(E) Put accounts submitted for write off, sent to Small Claims Court or by request of any city department head immediately on a "cash up front" only basis in the accounts receivable module in HTE. Finance will forward this request to the Planning and Community Development and Citation Departments for their modules as well.
(F) Ensure any account that owes amounts that have been previously written off be allowed only to contract for city services only upon payment of all outstanding old charges excepting bankruptcy proceedings.
(G) Any department head or Finance Officer may petition the Committee on Accounts for exempt status of certain accounts or classes of accounts from this section. Waterworks and airport have been granted special exception to this section.
(Ord. passed 5-6-97; Am. Ord. passed 11-6-02; Am. Ord. passed 2-7-09)