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City Attorney Goodrich inquired if the businesses were currently receiving the correct bill. <br /> <br />Finance Officer Lund replied that the next bill will have the correct amount. Ms. Lund read a <br />letter she had drafted explaining the error that has occurred that could be mailed along with the <br />next bill. <br /> <br />Councihnember Kurak stated that the fact is the businesses have used the water and should be <br />required to pay for it. <br /> <br />Mayor Gamec stated that he would like to meet with Connexus, along with the Finance Officer <br />and possibly another Councilmember to discuss the issue. <br /> <br />Councilmember Zimmerman felt that there were probably a fair amount of businesses that would <br />pay the amount owed once they are made aware of the mistake and he felt that they should be <br />given the opportunity to do so before a lien is placed on the property. <br /> <br />Councihnember Kurak stated that with some of the larger amounts they may need to set up a <br />payment plan with a small interest rate. <br /> <br />Councilmember Elvig replied that he would agree with that. He inquired if the City had the <br />ability to extend a loan. <br /> <br />City Attorney Goodrich replied that he believed that they could, but the City would need to <br />establish some policy so that they do not discriminate against other businesses. <br /> <br />Councilmember Kurak suggested a policy where amounts due that are $10,000 or above could be <br />paid back over a certain amount of time. <br /> <br />City Attorney Goodrich suggested establishing a committee to address some of the policy issues. <br /> <br />Councihnember Cook stated that the City should first determine how much Connexus is willing <br />to pay before they bill the customers the full amount. <br /> <br />City Attorney Goodrich noted that most likely if Connexus agrees to pay 25 percent of the bill <br />they would turn around and require the customer to pay them back. <br /> <br />Councihnember Pearson stated that he thought that most of the businesses would work with the <br />City and pay their bills. <br /> <br />Councihnember Elvig suggested that they meet with Connexus to try and get them to pay some <br />of what is owed to the City, have Connexus or the City send a letter to the customers explaining <br />the error, in addition a letter should be sent from the City with the total amount due and the <br />option to pay the full amount with a 15 percent discount if paid within 90 days, or contact City <br />staff to establish a payment plan. He felt that way everyone one would be treated the same and <br />hopefully the City would receive some of that money quickly. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session/October 14, 2003 <br /> Page 3 of 5 <br /> <br /> <br />