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Having a little trouble making that $33.46 sewer bill each month? Don’t worry, Spokane County is willing to work with you – to a point.
Just exactly how severe the county utilities department decides make the penalty for late payments is still to be determined, but county commissioners are hoping to come up with a system that is fair but allows it to recoup the thousands of dollars that are lost each month to those who don’t pay their bills.
“It can be pretty emotional for customers,” Bruce Rawls, county utilities director, told commissioners on Tuesday.
Up until two years ago, county officials did relatively little to seek back compensation from those who were either late or simply would not pay their sewer bills. Once it became clear that the county could lose millions of dollars in unpaid bills, it set up a system of late fees along with 8-percent annual interest rate for delinquent accounts.
Since the new rules were more severe than how the county operated before, Rawls allowed for property owners a one-time waiving of the fees. However, he said, the problem hasn’t improved as much as he would like.
County commissioners said they like the idea of continuing the one-time amnesty treatment for those who have a legitimate reason for not being able to pay their bills on time. However, in the spirit of being more helpful to those who have trouble meeting the payment due date, Commissioner Mark Richard suggested the county implement some type of grace period, perhaps 10 days, before late fees would begin to accrue. He also suggested taking a poll of ratepayers to see what options they prefer.
Commissioner Todd Mielke said he also believes there should be some leniency, especially when it comes to senior citizens.
“I don’t want to go with such a hard and fast rule that there’s no flexibility from us,” he said.
The commissioners agreed to continue with the current system until more information could be gathered.
In other news, the commissioners said they were reluctant to fund a coordinator for the drug court, which is overseen by Superior Court Judge Linda Tompkins. Earlier this year, Tompkins was told by the commissioners to advertise for the position but not to go forward and hire anyone until the county’s financial status became clearer after the legislative session.
The drug court, which is about 13 years old, has been declared to be about the best way to deal with drug offenders with addictions. Those selected to participate in the program must confess to charges and then are placed in treatment and closely monitored.
Tracking the enrollees, however, takes time, and Tompkins had hoped to hire a coordinator to facilitate the program.
But with the state further restricting mental health dollars to the county – and with money from the .1 percent sales tax approved to fund mental health in Spokane County already spoken for – the only way to fund the position for 2008 would be to dip into the general fund.
“The general fund can fund this to a point,” Marshall Farnell, county CEO, told the commissioners.
Both Richard and Mielke were reluctant to fund the position this year, but Commissioner Bonnie Mager said it should be discussed further.
“I think we’re at a critical point (with the drug court),” she said. “It’s something we should fund – even if it’s just for a year.”
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By
Mike Huffman
