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gay/ <br />Departmental Item <br />Indian River County, Florida <br />Department of Utility Services <br />Board Memorandum <br />Date: September 23, 2021 <br />To: Jason E. Brown, County Administrator <br />From: Matthew Jordan, Interim Director of Utility Services <br />Prepared By: Cindy Corrente, Utility Finance Manager <br />Subject: Utility Accounts Receivable Bad Debt Follow Up and Potential Foreclosure Activity <br />Background: <br />On March 9, 2021, a public hearing took place that resulted in modifications to County Code that <br />pertained to payment and collections of certain utility bills. These modifications set forth a specific time <br />period during which staff was authorized to waive some, or all, penalties and interest on certain past <br />due utility accounts and to make payment arrangements for settlement of said accounts. Modification <br />to code also included language that provided staff with the authorization to seek final settlement or <br />ultimately foreclosure for any accounts that remained unsettled. <br />The most significant waivers were given to owners who made settlement before June 14, 2021. Rather <br />significant waivers were also given to owners wl,.o signed payment agreements promising to settle their <br />remaining balances by May 22, 2022. Those wa4vers are contingent upon the owners completing their <br />payment obligations on time. <br />Once the modifications were adopted, staff proceeded with various collections efforts. Key components <br />of the effort were: <br />• Mailing approximately 410 certified letters to owners of properties/accounts, wherein there <br />were over 24 months of past due water and/or sewer charges, past due impact fee loans, or <br />past due assessment accounts. <br />• Calculating proposed settlements offers for any owners that responded to the letters. <br />• Following up via telephone with any customers for which a valid telephone number was <br />available. <br />Analysis: <br />At the time of the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) presentation prior to the public hearing, there <br />were 333 accounts that had charges over twenty-four months old, or delinquent loans; or assessment <br />accounts. By the time the letters were actually mailed, there were 410 accounts that had exceeded the <br />174 <br />