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NEWS
Second delinquent fees list released
Huntington City Hall.
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HUNTINGTON -- The city of Huntington on Thursday released another delinquent fee list to the media in hopes that it helps the city's collection efforts.
The list of 2,113 past due refuse fee accounts represents approximately $4 million in fees and penalties. The accounts made the list if they have outstanding balances greater than $500, are at least three quarters behind and have no payment activity since July 1, 2009.
The release of the refuse fee list comes three days after the city distributed a delinquent municipal fee list of 2,333 accounts representing $4.1 million.
Dozens of taxpayers came forward and made payment arrangements when the city announced last week that it would release the names of delinquent account holders to the media, Finance Director Deron Runyon said. Payment activity has spiked even more since the city released the lists, he said.
"We've gotten a pretty positive response," he said. "I don't have specifics yet, but I've gotten reports from our third-party collection agency that they have had numerous calls to set up payment arrangements."
Among the names on the delinquent refuse fee list is Glen Garrett, the city's general superintendent of public works. Garrett oversees the sanitation division, which is funded entirely by the refuse fee. He earns $44,249 a year and owes $3,253 in refuse fees. He also owes $2,969 in municipal fees.
Garrett confirmed Thursday that the debts belong to him, but declined to comment further.
Administration and Finance Director Brandi Jacobs-Jones said she was not aware Garrett's name was on the lists. She said the administration will review the lists early next week to see how many other city employees are behind on their fees.
"We'll plan how to proceed from that point," she said.
City attorney Scott McClure said city employees are treated like anyone else when it comes to delinquent fees. The city sued Garrett for delinquent municipal and refuse fees in 2005 and already has placed a lien on his property, McClure said.
The city could garnish an employee's wages, but it's a complicated process, he said.
"I'm not aware of anything that prohibits us from doing it, but we must have a court order," he said. "We just can't up and take someone's wages, even if it's our own employees.
"Historically, we've never really done it. In some cases it is probably cost-prohibitive, but it's primarily because we don't have access to the same personal information that a normal creditor does."
Topping the refuse fee list are 12 account holders who owe $7,175 each. None has made a single refuse fee payment since the fee was implemented in 1995, Runyon said. He did not immediately know if the city had previously filed lawsuits against those account holders.
Runyon said these delinquent accounts expose limitations that restrict the city from collecting delinquent fees. Health regulations prohibit the city from cutting off garbage service. That's why the city still picks up garbage at the corresponding addresses for the 12 largest delinquent fee accounts, he said.
Cities in Kentucky are allowed to cut off other services, such as water, if a resident does not pay for garbage service, Runyon said. West Virginia cities, however, are prohibited from doing the same, he said.
"We're doing everything we are legally allowed to do, but sometimes it's not enough," he said. "From a legislative standpoint, I think there needs to be more consideration paid to giving cities the power to collect fees that are rightfully owed."
The city's contract with Rossman and Co., a Columbus, Ohio-based collection agency, has helped, Runyon said. It has collected more than $1.5 million in delinquent municipal and refuse fees since September 2008.
Huntington also is taking advantage of a new state law that allows cities to place a lien on an account holder's property if the account holder doesn't set up payment arrangements within 90 days of receiving a delinquency notice.
Those who have delinquent accounts and want to make payment arrangements must call Rossman and Co. at 1-800-250-8935. Failure to make payment arrangements will result in reports to credit bureaus. Discrepancies should be directed to the city's fee auditor at 304-696-5930.
