By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA — City Auditor Michael Zullo likes the $50 fee assessed to residents who pay their sewer and trash bills late.
“It’s the best thing the city ever did,” he said.
More than 50 residents disagree with Zullo’s assessment, and sent city officials a signed petition. Zullo presented the petition Wednesday at City Council’s finance and ordinance committee meeting.
“We, as citizens, feel the city of Ashtabula is gouging its citizens by adding an automatic $50 late fee to its consumers,” the petition reads. “We also see the danger in this high of late fee for our senior citizens and those on fixed incomes, which make up a large percentage of our population.”
City Council instituted the $50 late fee late last year.
Zullo said people were not paying their bills before the fee. Now, they pay, he said.
“We exercise discretion,” he said, noting tardy customers who are only a day or two late, are given a one-time break if they call the city.
Zullo also considers landlords’ situations if a tenant is late with a payment, he said.
City residents saw a rate hike on their sewer bills early last year to help pay for a $4 million retention basin designed to keep the city dry during heavy rainstorms. Residents now pay an additional $2.96 a month. But Zullo didn’t believe the increase caused the drop in payments.
“People just don’t pay their bills,” he said.
Zullo first suggested a $10-a-month late fee, but then-Ward 2 Councilman James Paulchel said he didn’t believe it would mean anything to “the deadbeats.”
