The Finance Director shall establish and maintain policies and
procedures relating to the collection of debt.
Consistent with the provisions of 65 ILCS 5/1-2-1, the City
may retain collection agencies and collection attorneys to collect
unpaid debts and financial defaults. Any and all fees incurred by
the City, including all fees, charges and administrative costs incurred
by the City in the collection of the unpaid debt and financial defaults,
shall be added to the amounts subject to collection.
The Finance Director shall establish policies and procedures
governing the assignment or other referral of delinquent accounts
or debt to a collection agency that has entered into a contract with
the City for that purpose.
In certain cases, amounts which are due any department of the
City, including its public utilities, from any individual or corporate
debtor thereto under provisions of leases, contracts, other instruments
or agreements, or under provisions of rate or other ordinances or
resolutions, or which are due and legally enforceable from any person,
corporation or insurance company as a result of damages to City property
may remain unpaid for long time periods. After the Finance Director
has determined that there is no cost effective means of collecting
the debt, the debt may be canceled, written-off, or otherwise modified
as follows:
A. Amounts due the City which are no greater than $1,000 may, after
reasonable efforts for the collection or settlement thereof have been
exhausted, be authorized by the Finance Director to be canceled, written-off
or modified based on written procedures developed by the Finance Director
and approved by the City Manager.
B. Amounts due the City which are in excess of $1,000 but which are
no greater than $5,000 may, after reasonable efforts for the collection
or settlement thereof have been exhausted, be authorized by the City
Manager or designee to be canceled, written-off or modified in part
upon recommendation of the Finance Director.
C. Amounts due the City in excess of $5,000 which are due any department
of the City, including its public utilities, from any individual or
corporate debtor thereto under provisions of leases, contracts, other
instruments or agreements, or under provisions of rate or other ordinances
or resolutions, or which are due and legally enforceable from any
person, corporation or insurance company as a result of damages to
City property, may not be canceled, written-off, or otherwise modified
without the authorization of the City Council upon recommendation
of the City Manager.