Pay now or pay later, letter warns stormwater fee holdouts

The city of Colorado Springs is making good on a promise to collect more than $2 million in past-due Stormwater Enterprise fees from delinquent property owners.

Starting tomorrow, the city will mail the first 500 of about 12,000 “courtesy letters” to property owners who are four or more quarters past due on their stormwater bills.

The letter comes with a clear warning: Pay now or pay more in the future if the past-due bill is turned over to the El Paso County Treasurer’s Office for collection.

“In addition to the stormwater service fee amount due, the EPC Treasurer will assess additional fees based on the applicable state statute. This could result in an additional 30 percent charge,” the letter states.

Under the city code, an overdue invoice automatically creates a lien on the property. A lien allows the Stormwater Enterprise to collect overdue fees through a property owner’s property taxes.

But the city, for various reasons, never certified the liens for collection since billing started in 2007. However, it’s prepared to do so in November if delinquent property owners don’t pay up.

“We hope (the courtesy letters) will bring a lot of people up to date, that people will see that we are ready to pursue that next step,” city spokeswoman Mary Scott said. “I think it’s kind of been a little bit of an empty threat out there.”

Scott said most people pay their stormwater fees.

Since billing started, 94 percent of the amount invoiced has been collected, totaling nearly $39 million, she said.

Lack of payment from delinquent property owners “really isn’t fair to all these people who have been paying on time (because) they’re carrying the load for these people who haven’t paid,” she said.