Title
Incorporated County of Los Alamos Resolution No. 24-24; A Resolution Removing Uncollectible Utility Accounts from the Incorporated County of Los Alamos Accounts Receivables List for Fiscal Year 2020
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve Incorporated County of Los Alamos Resolution No. 24-24; A Resolution Removing Uncollectible Utility Accounts from the Incorporated County of Los Alamos Accounts Receivables List for - Fiscal Year 2020.
Utilities Manager's Recommendation
The Utilities Manager and staff recommend Council adopt Resolution No. 24-24.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
The Board of Public Utilities endorsed this Resolution at their regular meeting of September 18, 2024 and recommends that Council adopt Resolution No. 24-24 as presented.
Body
Pursuant to 3-37-7 NMSA 1978, it is requested that the BPU Utilities approve the write-off of the accounts listed in the Resolution, Exhibit A, which have been deemed uncollectible. These accounts have been uncollectible for four (4) or more years, and all avenues for collection by the county have been exhausted. Once the BPU Board has formally approved the write-offs for utility charges, the Resolution will be presented to Council for final approval and adoption.
The New Mexico Attorney General’s Opinion 70-88 indicated that writing-off such uncollectible accounts has no effect on the County’s future right to collection if circumstances change, and if collection is not barred by the applicable statute of limitations. The amount of write-off for each utility was determined from the actual amounts billed. The APPA reports in their 2023 survey that comparably sized utilities (5,000 - 10,000 customers) have a weighted average of .0007 per revenue dollar. The County has a ratio of .00067 for FY2020.
Utilities write-offs for fiscal year 2020 consist of 60 accounts totaling $29,213.26. Please note the balance due listed on Exhibit “A” to Resolution 24-24 includes GRT & GGRT in the amounts of $1,157.35 & $688.53 respectively for fiscal year 2020.
Alternatives
The alternative is to maintain these amounts as receivables, an asset, on the County's books, with an offsetting liability, allowance for uncollectible accounts.
Fiscal and Staff Impact
UTILITY FY2020
Electric $ 9,036.86
Gas $ 5,868.04
Water $ 4,265.30
Sewer $ 4,324.77
Subtotal $ 25,340.85 (amount for FY20 which includes GRT & GGRT)
Refuse $ 3,872.41
FY20 TOTAL $ 29,213.26 (including GRT/GGRT)
Attachments
A - Resolution No. 24-24
B - Exhibit A - Write Off Accounts FY20
C - Publication Notice