Delinquent utilities, violations to be placed on property taxes

by Michael Mattison
The Winthrop City Council held a public hearing on unpaid utilities and nuisance violation fees. One of the property owners did pay their fee but 17 others did not respond. The  City Council passed a resolution adopting past due utility and abatement assessments to property taxes.
The unpaid utilities amounted to a total of $8,396.79, nuisance violations $7,018.58 and fire calls $1,960.
“There have been multiple attempts to contact them. We actually gave more time than we normally do. We normally files these in October when we do property taxes. There were a few that we felt we had to wait so we waited until now which is almost six months past what we normally do,” said City Administrator Michael Looft.

He said that letters were sent and they were also given a 30-day notice of the public hearing to which only the one responded to.
Those properties with outstanding charges can pay what is owed at a 5 percent annual interest rate but that which is unpaid will be assessed to property taxes.
Seal coating bids were received and the Council approved the bid from Pearson Bros, Inc. for $20,840 as well as an extra $2,400 to Kohl’s Sweeping Service, Inc.
Portions of Pleasant Avenue, 1st Street, Hennepin Street, Mill Street East, High Street East, Grant Street East, Carver Street South and Carver Street North will be done.
Looft added that the amount of seal coating to be done is about half of what the City normally does because of the price of oil.
There is also cracking and settling on Eighth Street that the City proposed to correct this year. The six to seven cracks will be dug out and filled in. The estimated cost on this is $7,200. Seal coating was budgeted for $45,000 this year so these projects fall below that amount.
The parking lot in Winthrop City Park has several issues and Looft said the remainder of what had been budgeted could be used for that. Bids on that project have yet to be received.