(A) Additional fees. If services require more resources than anticipated in the original application fee, either by county staff, services rendered by a professional, or other third-party services, the customer shall be responsible to reimburse the county for these charges plus 10% of the charges to cover administrative costs, which shall include extraordinary attorneys’ fees. Such fees and charges shall accrue to, and are payable by, the entity which receives service executes an application, enters into a development agreement, or requests the service.
(B) Billing statements. The county shall bill customers for excess reimbursable fees accruing under this section and all other charges on a regular basis within 45 days of services. The billing by the county shall be in reasonable detail to permit the customer to determine the reason for the expenditure, and fees or charges incurred, along with the rate or other basis for the charge. Billings for reimbursable fees are due upon receipt and if the balance due is not paid within 30 days of mailing, the customer is delinquent and is in default to the county billing statements from the county to the customer shall be deemed correct, accurate, undisputed and due in full unless the Clerk Auditor shall receive in writing a disputed bill in reasonable detail to ascertain the exact question or matter in dispute within 30 days of the postmarked date on the mailed statement or the date of hand-delivery if the statement is not delivered through the U.S. Mail.
(C) Conference with customer. The customer, or their representatives, may informally confer with county staff to obtain further information, ask questions, and receive clarification of charges included on the billings. An informal conference may result in changes to the invoice from the county to the customer. If the invoice is corrected or changed, the customer shall pay the corrected invoice within 15 days of receipt of the corrected invoice.
(D) Disputed amount to County Board of Commissioners. Any disputed amount after the customer has conferred with the county staff may be disputed to the County Board of Commissioners. The customer shall notify the Clerk Auditor again in writing regarding the contested amount. The Clerk Auditor shall notify the Commission Administrator to the need to place the issue on the County Board of Commissioners agenda. The County Board of Commissioners shall consider the payment dispute in a regularly scheduled county meeting. Notice of the time, date and place of the meeting where the disputed statement will be considered by the County Board of Commissioners will be mailed to the customer not less than five days before the date of the meeting. The customer may present any statement or evidence supporting the customer’s position with respect to the dispute. The County Board of Commissioners shall vote on each disputed charge by the customer to determine whether or not to reduce or eliminate the disputed charges. The decision of the County Board of Commissioners shall be final.
(E) Customers in default. Customers must remain in good standing with all amounts due and payable to the county paid as such amounts become due. Customers who are delinquent in payment of reimbursable fees and charges to the county shall be deemed to be in default and future requests for services shall be delayed until the customer has remedied the default.
(Ord. 2024-04, passed 3-5-2024)