Cairo council approves utility collections change and local capital allocation

The Cairo City Council voted to approve an ordinance changing how the city handles unpaid utility and service accounts and approved a proposed local capital allocation over the next six years.

City staff introduced the utility ordinance to include gas customers and to shift more collection work in-house after the prior private collections contract produced limited recoveries. Staff reported the credit bureau had collected about $3,700 in one one-year span, while more recent in-house efforts produced higher returns (staff cited totals of $7,142 for a prior period and about $2,500 since March). After discussion, the council moved to approve the ordinance by voice vote. The ordinance will be signed and returned with the mayor’s signature once finalized.

Council also reviewed a proposed allocation of county-collected capital funds (referred to in meeting materials as "spots"/"splash" funds). Staff cited a county projection of $21,000,000 in total collections and stated the city’s allocation rate as 38.8%, yielding an estimated $8,148,000 for the city across six years. The presentation outlined intended uses including drinking-water and wastewater capital improvements, public-safety vehicles and equipment, street and drainage projects, and repayment of previously incurred debt. Council approved the allocation and staff will forward the approved local allocation to the county to meet intergovernmental-agreement deadlines.

No roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript; both items were adopted by voice vote. The council also noted that the mayor’s signature will be added to ordinance documents after approval.