The Williams City Council last week voted to turn over all unpaid garbage bills to the Colusa County Auditor to collect through the property tax lien process.
Recology reported that between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, 115 properties in the City of Williams were delinquent, totaling $44,765.17.
The amount sent to the auditor exceeds the previous year, when 102 delinquent accounts totaled $33,689, possibly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and higher unemployment, officials said.
Account delinquencies ranged from $35 to $1,369 and were both residential and commercial customers.
Williams City Administrator Frank Kennedy said because the Williams City Council mandates all residences and businesses have garbage collection services, Recology delivers a list of delinquent accounts annually for collection.
” Once the list has been certified, it is turned over to the Colusa County Auditor to add the amount due to the tax rolls so they can be collected through the property tax process,” Kennedy said.
There is no cost to the city or Recology for the tax lien, as all will be collected from the owner of the property when they pay their property taxes, Kennedy said.
The delinquencies ranged from a low of about $125 to a high of $1,459, the latter likely a commercial account, once the costly lien and administration fees were added.
The liens on the property should appear on the property owners December tax bills, officials said. The City of Colusa uses the same process for handing delinquent accounts. –