City may change water bill due date

City residents will have to pay their utility bills sooner, if the City Council approves and passes an ordinance at their regular meeting Monday, 7 p.m., at City Council Chambers in?Memorial Aud-itorium.

Currently, city utility bills that include water, sewer and trash collection have to be paid by the 24th of each month or be charged a $15 administrative handling charge.

City Staff will ask the council to change the due date to the 20th. Jesse Dutcher, Utility Director, cited in the city manager's report that this date is necessary to prevent a logjam of duties and overtime that occurs in the billing department.

Beginning on the 25th of each month, Dutcher said customer accounts are updated, new bills are printed along with final billing for property changes and running the end of month balances.

These tasks requires 25 hours of time from the billing clerk, he said, in addition to the daily routine of collecting payments and daily record keeping.

Additional time is spent when the 24th falls on a weekend, he said, which results in overtime for city employees.

The City Council approved the 24th due date in January 2002, in an effort to reduce the number of accounts not paid by the end of the month and to reduce the number of shut off notices.

According to records supplied by Dutcher, accounts not paid by the end of the month in the months of May, June and July dropped in 2006 compared to 2001. Currently about 120 shut off notices are issued monthly resulting in approximately 20 actual disconnects.

Other items the council will consider approving are amendments to the city employee pension plan and to the ambulance storage agreement between the city and Good Samaritan Hospital.

The amendment to the city employee pension plan would address changes required by the IRS.

These changes would include: no longer mandatory for full time employees to participate; employees don't have to contribute six percent but must contribute that amount to receive the six percent city match; the plan must be available to all regular employees, full and part time after three months of service; and that the plan will be "Self Trusted," with the City Manager and City Clerk as trustees.

Council members also will consider approving an amended lease agreement between the City and Good Samaritan Hospital, that will allow Good Samaritan to still store their ambulances at the airport but would not require city employees to attend training upon notification from Good Samaritan.

Other agenda items include:

* approve the proclamation designating Oct. 8-14, 2006 as Fire Prevention Week;

* approve a request from Wagner Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac-Cadillac and Wagner Ford-Mercury Toyota to close the 200 block of West Second on Oct. 7 for their annual car and truck promotion

* approve the Mayor's appointments of: Pam Wolford to replace Cordell Sevengalis on the Library Board, term expiring June 2008; Michelle Gonzales to replace Max Abercrombie and Harry Sughroue to replace Richard Stull on the Parks Advisory Board, both terms expiring May 2009.