COUNCIL ROUNDUP: City could write off more than $464K of unpaid utility bills
The City of Prince Albert may soon write off more than $464,000 of unpaid water utility bills and introduce and pass a bylaw that would enable it to put outstanding utilities on tax bills.
The water bills set to be written off pre-date 2007, and the city’s administration made several attempts over the years to collect the unpaid funds. The outstanding bills were sent to collections, but the accounting ‘rule of thumb’ is to write off any debt that hasn’t been collected for more than seven years. The city is owed nearly $449,000 for utility bills that remain unpaid from 2007 to 2012.
Mayor Greg Dionne said that the city is dealing with the situation better now with better meter reading and deposits, and he thinks will be the last utility big bill write off.
The write-off won’t have an impact on the city’s finances.