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Manassas Park treasurer reports stronger collections, new banking strategy and utility enforcement actions
Summary
Treasurer Donald Shoemaker reported increased collections activity, planned expansion of automatic debit and e-check options, details on recent utility shutoffs and meter tampering enforcement, and a bank-account restructure expected to generate roughly $280,000 more in interest.
Donald Shoemaker, Manassas Park treasurer, presented a multi-part fiscal update on July 21 covering tax write-offs, water and sewer collections, enforcement actions and a banking restructure intended to increase interest income.
Shoemaker said the office annually writes off delinquent accounts across several tax types and provided a multi-year breakdown of accounts and amounts. He described water and sewer collection practices: the city typically shuts off accounts that are two months delinquent and, for the recent cycle, reported shutoffs affecting several dozen accounts. He said meter tampering is assessed a $300 penalty and described a case in which the city replaced a damaged meter and billed the homeowner.
On payments, Shoemaker said the city is encouraging automatic debiting and is evaluating Avenity (an online payment platform) to offer free e-checks to customers and reduce processing fees. He said the base water fee ($52.77) generated about $4,999,376 in revenue and provided annual usage volumes for the citys water and sewer systems.
Shoemaker detailed enforcement steps intended to boost collections, including greater use of DMV holds, referrals of severely delinquent properties to tax-sale processes, and plans to use treasure summons for business and real-estate taxes. He said some previously delinquent accounts have begun to pay, and the office is improving supplemental billing for vehicles and other personal-property accounts.
On banking, Shoemaker said the city restructured some accounts and is projecting roughly $280,000 in additional annual interest, and he asked the governing body to consider how interest earned on school deposit accounts should be treated administratively.
Council members thanked the treasurer and suggested prioritizing enforcement work on older personal-property delinquencies, while other members asked about notices, shutoff procedures and potential assistance for households facing hardship. Shoemaker said staff can coordinate with social services and local nonprofits for that assistance when possible.
Shoemaker said he would return with another update after the next personal-property season.
