Minutes - Council - 09/25/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

COUNCIL BUSINESS Mayor Gamec closed the regular portion of the City Council meeting at 7:20 p.m. in order to conduct a public hearing. Case #1: Public Hearing and Levy of Assessments for Past-Due Charges on Municipal Utility Bills and Current Services Rendered Mayor Gamec called the public hearing to order at 7:20 p.m. Citizen Input Patrick Stocker, 14673 Iodine Court NW, stated that he had received a letter from the City regarding a delinquent water bill account for Michelle Lacrosse, who was the home's previous owner. Mr. Stocker stated that he had purchased the home in November 2006. He stated that the letter indicated that the bill stays with the property and not the individual named on the account. He read aloud from the City letter and also noted his purchasing documents that warranted that his property was free of all encumbrances. He stated that the title documents also stated that the seller's title company agreed to pay all utilities associated with the property. He stated that Burnett Title does not guarantee the accuracy of this information, but claimed that they had conducted a search on the property and came up with no information. He stated that he has spoken with Connexus Energy and they stated that this account had been delinquent since June 2006, so he feels this information should have been known and available at the time of closing. He stated that he can provide copies of all the documents he referred to in his comments. He stated that he would like to know if there is anything in the City procedures that states a title company is legally required to do a search of outstanding bills. City Attorney Goodrich stated that there is nothing in the City's policy to control whether or not a title company completes a search for outstanding utility bills. Finance Officer Lund stated that the closing company is responsible for doing a search on utility bills. She stated that everything Mr. Stocker claimed tonight is correct, in that the City's policy is that past due bills are the responsibility of the homeowner currently in residence and stays with the PIN# of the property. She stated that Connexus handles billing for the City water utility. She stated that the City is not a collection agency with the capability of hunting down previous owners. She stated that if there is any documentation from the closing company that shows they contacted Connexus, then Connexus could be held liable for the bill. Mr. Stocker stated that there is nothing on file with Connexus that they were contacted regarding this issue. Finance Officer Lund stated that the title company does not have to contact utility companies, just the City during their assessment searches. City Council / September 25, 2007 Page 5 of 27