Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980 06-26 City will publish list of unpaid bills DISPATCH City will publish �� � ? list ®f unpaid bills , By BETSY BECKER Staff Writer Names of persons who failed to pay fo 979 Maplewood paramedic runs are going to be published in the city's official newspaper. THE CITY COUNCIL voted last week to write-off as uncol- lectable about $4,200 in bills for paramedic runs. Council members directed that the names of persons'who didn't pay for the paramedic runs, even after being taken to „ court, should be published as a k part of the minutes of the , N . .; meeting. The names of persons • • who paid all but a $3 court fee will not be published. But before the council decid- ed that, they discussed collet- Greavu Anderson tion agencies, personal appear- ances before the council and publication of names as means to collect. The city sent out bills for about $29,800 in 1979. It collected about $25,800, although some cases had to be taken to concilia- tion court. COUNCILMAN Norman Anderson stated: "I went through this list and saw some of the same names of people who are doing the same thing as last year." Police Chief Richard Schaller told him some of the repeaters will not appear on 1980 bills because the city is no longer at- tempting to collect from persons transported to the Ramsey County Detoxification Center. • See Bills,Page 3E Bills Continued from Page 1E Mayor John Greavu asked: "You mean that when our citi- zens have a heart attack, they have to pay for a paramedic run. But when we take one of those guys to detox, they don't?" City Finance Director Dan Faust told Greavu the council adopted the policy of not charging for detox runs in November of 1979. Schaller said most of the trips to the detox center are made by squad car. He added: "It's impossible to collect on those." BUT GREA.VU had an answer: "I know what we ought to do, we ought to tax the liquor and head shops so damned heavy that we could pay for some kind of treatment." Councilman Gary Bastian asked: "What would it cost to take out a full-page ad and print their names in 10 point type?" However, Councilman Earl Nelson noted: "We're not doing too bad on this. Only 15 percent are uncollectable. We are col- lecting 85 percent. I know it's frustrating to see page after page of people who didn't pay. But after all, I think we've done well." Bastian then suggested the city try using a collection agency. Nelson asked him: "You mean you want a collection agency to start haranguing Maplewood citizens?" AT ONE POINT Anderson said he would "be damned" if he was going to forgive the unpaid bills. Then he spoke in favor of sending them to a collection agency. "I think I'll go on the bottle and get hauled around," Anderson said. The idea of a collection agency was dropped after Faust told the council it would net about $400. Bastian then moved to write off the bills and publish the names. The council approved it unanimously, and the list will be published in the Maplewood Review.