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Putnam County Commission approves $549,022.07 write-off for Emergency Services
Summary
At its meeting, the commission unanimously approved writing off $549,022.07 in uncollectible emergency-services debt; the department chief said the write-off is a routine annual accounting step after billing and collections attempts.
Putnam County commissioners voted to write off $549,022.07 in uncollectible debt for the county's Emergency Services, a motion that passed by roll call with 22 votes in favor and 2 members absent.
The write-off was introduced by the fiscal review committee and questioned by Commissioner Donatiel, who asked the Putnam County Emergency Services chief to explain the amount. The chief said this is a routine annual practice: "This is a normal write off. We do this pretty much every year. ... The debt is not truly gone, it is turned over to a collection agency and the collection agency will work that as long as they can to try to get money from the person." The chief said the amounts result from the standard billing process followed by referrals to collections when payment is not obtained.
Why it matters: the write-off reduces the county's receivables for accounting and audit purposes and reflects revenue the department does not expect to collect in the near term. County officials said the action does not cancel the underlying obligation; accounts continue to be pursued by outside collection agencies.
The commission approved the motion after a roll-call vote, with the clerk reporting 22 yes, 0 no, and 2 absent. The item was recorded as passed.
