SF 344

1st Engrossment - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to local government; providing cities and
towns authority to collect unpaid bills for certain
emergency services from nonresidents; amending
Minnesota Statutes 2004, sections 366.011; 366.012.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 366.011, is
amended to read:

366.011 CHARGES FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES; COLLECTION.

A town may impose a reasonable service charge for emergency
services, including fire, rescue, medical, and related services
provided by the town or contracted for by the town. If the
service charge remains unpaid 30 days after a notice of
delinquency is sent to the recipient of the service or the
recipient's representative or estate, the town or its contractor
on behalf of the town may use any lawful means allowed to a
private party for the collection of an unsecured delinquent
debt. The town may also use the authority of section 366.012 to
collect unpaid service charges of this kind from delinquent
recipients of services who are owners of taxable real property
in the deleted text begin town deleted text end new text begin state new text end .

The powers conferred by this section are in addition and
supplemental to the powers conferred by any other law for a town
to impose a service charge or assessment for a service provided
by the town or contracted for by the town.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2004, section 366.012, is
amended to read:

366.012 COLLECTION OF UNPAID SERVICE CHARGES.

If a town is authorized to impose a service charge deleted text begin on the
owner, lessee, or occupant of property, or any of them, deleted text end for a
governmental service provided by the town, the town board may
certify to the county auditor new text begin of the county in which the
recipient of the services owns real property new text end , on or before
October 15 for each year, any unpaid service charges which shall
then be collected together with property taxes levied against
the property. new text begin The county auditor shall remit to the town all
service charges collected by the auditor on behalf of the town.
new text end A charge may be certified to the auditor only if, on or before
September 15, the town has given written notice to the property
owner of its intention to certify the charge to the auditor.
The service charges shall be subject to the same penalties,
interest, and other conditions provided for the collection of
property taxes. This section is in addition to other law
authorizing the collection of unpaid costs and service charges.