Commission approves placing delinquent utility and general bills on winter tax roll

Mount Clemens — The Mount Clemens City Commission voted on Nov. 8 to place delinquent utility and general bills on the winter 2023 tax roll under two special assessment rolls cited in the meeting as R-23-5 and R-23-6.

City staff told commissioners that special assessment R-23-5 covers delinquent utility bills in the amount reported in the meeting packet at about $32,769 and that R-23-6 covers delinquent general bills at about $197,198. Staff noted a 15% transfer/administrative fee applies when the county processes transfers to the tax roll but said the county remits the collected amounts back to the city, with sidewalk-special-assessment proceeds treated differently if the county must perform maintenance before auction.

Commissioner Calhoun asked for clarification about the county’s fee and whether the city is made whole. City staff responded that the 15% is the administrative transfer charge and that the county writes the city a check for the collected amounts; sidewalk invoices and any maintenance costs incurred before auction are exceptions.

The motion to place the delinquents on the tax roll was moved and supported; a roll call vote recorded affirmative votes by the commissioners present and the assessments were approved as presented.

What happens next: The assessed delinquencies will be forwarded to the county for collection as part of the winter tax roll process, subject to the transfer fee and any applicable exclusions noted by staff.

No further public testimony on this item was recorded in the supplied transcript segments.