Jan 5, 2017 By Harry Funk 3 min read

You’ve seen advertisements touting a purchase price as “pennies per day.”

In Peters Township, the fee for garbage collection breaks down to about 56 cents daily, on the way to payments of $51 due each quarter.

Yet some residents are having trouble coming up with the requisite amount, with the result of owing a total of about $82,000 to start 2017, according to township manager Paul Lauer.

Facing a similar issue last year, the township took action by placing liens against properties with owners who have failed to pay.

“What these people receive are not only their regular statements, but when you go to lien this property, they’re getting certified mail,” Lauer told council members at their Jan. 2 reorganization meeting. “I don’t know how this continues.”

In the meantime, the township has initiated further action against delinquents.

“Now, that has gotten people’s attention,” Lauer said, “and people are making payments based upon the threat of a sheriff’s sale.”

He suggested that township officials consider changing how residents are charged for waste collection.

“I think, as part of next year’s budget cycle, we should look seriously at the possibility of incorporating that into the taxes,” he said. “There are lots of reasons to do it. The downside is that it results in a substantial tax increase. But it eliminates these problems with liens, and it eliminates lot of the fees associated with trying to collect.”

Council member James Berquist expressed dismay at the possibility.

“It’s just a shame that we have to resort to that for a very few,” he said.

In May, council adopted an amended ordinance setting a schedule of fees pertaining to the collection of municipal claims and liens.

“The premise is that the municipality, as well as taxpayers and rate payers, should not have to finance the burden of collecting funds from individuals and businesses who chose not to pay on a timely basis,” Lauer wrote at the time in a memo to council. “Furthermore, the fees are intended to create a financial incentive to pay on time.

One of the provisions states:

“If for any reason the solid waste and recyclable materials collection and disposal fee is not paid when due, a late fee at the rate of 1.25 percent per month on the amount of the unpaid fee shall be added and collected. Where suit is brought for recovery of fees that are delinquent, the person who is liable for the fee shall, in addition, be liable for the cost of collection and interest and penalties herein imposed.”

The ordinance goes on to provide a detailed list of fees the township charges for various services pertaining to legal action.

“These fees have the potential of being onerous,” Lauer wrote in his memo. “Of course, the fees can easily be avoided by paying one’s bills or taxes on time.”