Transfers and late payments

Financials, as they have been for the past 36 months, were discussed by the Saratoga Town Council during their September 7 meeting.

Along with making a substantial transfer from four enterprise funds into reserve accounts, the governing body also discussed the ongoing issue of delinquent accounts. The biggest question, which was eventually answered by the Saratoga-Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (SCCIJPB) the following night, was whether the accounts of deceased residents should continue to be billed even after undergoing the lien process.

Transfer to Reserves

Since taking office in January 2019, Councilmember Jon Nelson has been both outspoken and tenacious in his beliefs on how the enterprise accounts managed by the Town of Saratoga should be handled. In budget sessions for the fiscal years ending 2020 and 2021, Nelson repeatedly requested transfers of excess revenue over expenditures from the water fund, sewer fund, airport fund, and weed and pest fund into WYOSTAR reserve accounts.

On September 7, two months into the fiscal year ending 2022, such transfers were unanimously approved by the governing body. A total of $383,140.05 in excess revenue was approved to be transferred into four separate reserve accounts. The nearly $400,000 total included:

$25,133.27 from the airport fund

$209,710.01 from the water fund

$100,832.98 from the sewer fund

$47,463.79 from the weed and pest fund.

Death and taxes

For nearly a year, the SCCIJPB has been in pursuit of collecting on multiple delinquent accounts. The pursuit of funds owed to the joint powers board, through the Town of Saratoga, have resulted in the rewriting of municipal code in regards to termination of services and late fees to provide better guidance to town hall staff.

Town Clerk Marie Christen informed the Saratoga Town Council she had recently sent out 34 delinquent notice letters for accounts which owed more than $400 for water, sewer, and weed and pest services. Information provided by Christen after the meeting showed a total balance of $43,444.97 owed to the Town of Saratoga on accounts more than $400 in arrears. Of that balance, a minimum payment due totaled $18,320.65. Following the letters, a total of $18,669.21 had been collected by town hall.

Christen also informed the governing body there were two accounts which were about to undergo the lien process. A question was raised by both Christen, and assistant clerk/treasurer Brenda Matilske, as to whether charge for basic services to the property could be suspended along with the water service being shut off while undergoing the lien process. The town hall staff stated that, in the case of a few accounts, the property owner had been deceased for multiple years.

“I’m just going to play Devil’s Advocate here for a second. In situations where people have voluntarily asked to have their water shut off to prevent leaks or whatever in the winter, we don’t do that because they’re still on the system, they’re still responsible to paying the basic rate in order to maintain the system and pay for the depreciating assets,” said Nelson. “I would just think it’s a double standard that needs to be considered before we just go ahead and do it, even though it does feel like the right thing to do.”

The following night, at the September 8 meeting of the SCCIJPB, Nelson stated he believed suspending the charge for basic services would encourage the family of deceased property owners to sit on the property. Citing the ongoing housing shortage, members of the joint powers board stated continuing to add the charge for basic services under the lien process would likely serve as incentive for family members to sell the properties and thus free up housing for potential new residents.

In both the town council meeting and the joint powers board meeting, Nelson stated the property taxes were still being paid and so the services from the Town of Saratoga should also be paid. Christen, who was in attendance on September 8, was directed by the SCCIJPB to follow ordinance and to continue charging for basic services on properties undergoing the lien process.

The next meeting of the Saratoga Town Council will be at 6 p.m. on September 21 at Saratoga Town Hall.