IRON MOUNTAIN — The city of Iron Mountain will soon publish a list of $62,089 in unpaid water bills, with a payment deadline of April 30.

Under the city’s policy, any delinquent accounts will be transferred to the property tax roll as a special assessment. These past due balances carry a 5% one-time penalty and monthly interest charges of 1.5%.

At Monday’s city council meeting, Mayor Dale Alessandrini said a higher penalty might be in order to encourage timely payments. At this time in 2024, the unpaid bills totaled about $20,000, he said.

“People are definitely abusing it,” he said of a rule change that took effect last year aimed at reducing service shutoffs.

Council member Kyle Blomquist, however, said there’s little evidence the city is being hurt financially. There’s a significant cost in conducting shutoffs, and the city is eventually held harmless through property tax collections, he said.

Alessandrini said it seems some customers with the ability to pay — for whatever reason — would prefer to see their bills transferred to the property tax. The city has 214 delinquent accounts this year, up from 140 in 2024 and 80 in 2023.

Before 2024, the one-time penalty for overdue accounts was 10% but with no monthly interest penalty.

Customers who are renters now potentially face shutoffs if their outstanding balance reaches $350. In that case, a 50% down payment accompanied by payment arrangements prevents a shutoff, unless payment dates are missed.

City Manager Jordan Stanchina said the rising number of delinquent accounts is something the city is “keeping an eye on with the newly relaxed shutoff rules.”

In other action Monday, the city council:

— Noted the public works department is conducting a special collection for tree branches that were downed during the recent ice storm. The collection is only for street trees, typically located within 15 feet of the edge of the asphalt. Branches should be piled at the curbside. Also, the compost site behind the public works building is temporarily open 24 hours a day. Updates can be found on the city’s Facebook page.

— Heard Alessandrini report about 450 to 500 feet of residential sidewalk will be replaced this year under a program that will have labor donated by LiUNA Local 1329. About a thousand feet was to be replaced when the program began in 2024 and this year’s work will cover applicants who were left out. Participating residents pay for the cost of materials.

— Agreed to donate $8,341 remaining in its K-9 fund to the Dickinson Area Working K-9 program. At its March 17 meeting, the council provided a $3,500 one-time payment to Adam Ray, deputy director of police services, for the future care of Falcon, an Iron Mountain K-9 officer that was retired a year ago. The Dickinson Area Working K-9 program helps support K-9 officers in the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office and Kingsford Public Safety Department. Iron Mountain discontinued its K-9 program — which was supported by contributions — because of personnel limitations.

— Learned from council member David Farragh that U.P. Whitetails of Dickinson County raised nearly $4,000 for the Dickinson K-9 fund during a recent event.

— Will seek sealed bids with a deadline of 4 p.m. April 16 to purchase a 2024 Ford Edge or similar vehicle with no more than 5,000 miles. The unmarked vehicle in the police department is in need of replacement and the budget includes $35,000, Stanchina said. A city ordinance requires competitive bids on equipment purchases exceeding $20,000, a threshold that Stanchina noted has been in place since 1998.

— Approved a $20 per hour wage rate retroactive to Jan. 1 for a seasonal worker who is skilled in office maintenance tasks, including painting, flooring and drywall repair. The rate is otherwise $16.50 and the worker has saved the city considerable expenses, Stanchina said.

— Authorized a $2,000 contribution to the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Community Schools summer recreation program.

— Learned the dog park at City Park is temporarily closed to allow it to dry.