Council committee approves certification of delinquent utility accounts; members discuss repeat delinquents and possible penalties

The Elyria Finance Committee voted to authorize certification of inactive and delinquent public utility accounts to the Lorain County Auditor’s office as liens, following staff recommendations and a report from Director Conner.

Director Conner said the list being certified was previously approved by the board and forwarded to the auditor. Committee members raised concerns that some accounts repeatedly reappear on the delinquent list every three months, imposing recurring administrative costs. Councilwoman Saworka and others urged staff to pursue options to increase collections and reduce repeat work; the Safety Service Director said the city’s overall collection rate was high and noted a combination of late fees and the auditor’s statutory fee already adds costs to delinquent accounts. Law Director Deery confirmed council has the authority to legislate penalties or processing fees and noted the county auditor’s assessed fee “acts as a penalty” from the customer standpoint.

Committee members discussed possible approaches including a late fee structure, a single annual processing/administrative fee, or other penalties to motivate payment; the Safety Service Director said staff will work on implementing a late fee structure for future consideration. The committee then approved the resolution to certify the attached list of inactive delinquent public utility accounts as liens.

Why it matters: Certifying delinquent utility charges to the county creates liens on property tax records, which helps ensure eventual collection but can impose costs on property owners. Committee discussion highlighted administrative strain from repeatedly processing the same accounts and set a direction for staff to explore legislative changes to fees and penalties.

Vote: Motion to certify delinquent accounts carried by voice vote.