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Mayor flags widespread unpaid utilities as council weighs collection strategy
Summary
Mayor told the council that the city faces widespread unpaid utility accounts, citing roughly "6 and 1/2 million" in uncollected revenue over the last year; he said the city will reduce forgiveness and increase cutoffs to recoup funds.
Mayor told the Alexander City Council that unpaid utility bills are widespread across the city and that staff had prepared a map showing delinquent accounts. He said some accounts exceeded $3,000 and that the city had "6 and 1/2 million uncollected revenues in the last year or so," a figure he used to explain a shift toward less forgiveness and more service cutoffs to collect revenue.
The mayor asked council members to back continued enforcement and said the police department would be asked to address littering with measured enforcement actions. He framed the issues as matters of civic character and fiscal responsibility and said the city will continue outreach and enforcement to reduce delinquent accounts and improve public cleanliness.
Why it matters: municipal utility revenue funds city services; sustained collection shortfalls increase fiscal pressure and can reduce service levels or require budget adjustments.
What council will do: staff provided a demonstration map of delinquent accounts and will continue reporting on cutoff schedules; no formal vote was taken on a new cutoff policy at this meeting.
Ending: The mayor closed his remarks by urging residents and council to keep focusing on the city’s fiscal health and community pride.
