Salt Lake County waives late fees for Unified Police Department customers

SALT LAKE CITY — Hoping to create some incentive for the 13,000 customers who left their law enforcement bill unpaid last month, Salt Lake County officials decided Thursday to waive late fees and extend the due date for the new, user-based charges for police services in unincorporated areas.

The Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Service Area board suspended the 10 percent late fee and extended the April 1 deadline for the first wave of fees that go toward subsidizing the county's contribution to law enforcement services provided by the new, cooperative Unified Police Department. The caveat is that nonpayers will be asked to remit both the first and second installments of the three-cycle payment by late August or face the possibility of both bills, and late charges, being certified as delinquent. Once that happens, unpaid balances will be filed as liens against residential properties or, in the case of businesses, lead to the suspension of business licenses.

Two members of the three-person board, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon and Salt Lake County Councilman Jim Bradley, ratified the changes Thursday in part as a way of recognizing that some residents in unincorporated areas may not have been aware of the new bill, or mistook it for a junk mailer.

"We're well aware for this first cycle there are bugs to be worked out," Bradley said. "Overall, we're very pleased with the response that we've had."

While the county exceeded its targeted first-cycle billing goal of $4.1 million by over $1 million — due to some 16,000 customers paying for the year in full — there is still more than $1 million in delinquent debt, mostly from residential customers.

The board also approved an electronic pay option that will allow customers to pay via credit card on the county's website for the service area.

The board also heard a handful of appeals on Thursday, mostly from small business owners. Since the county's billing system is based on a user rate that was determined by sifting law enforcement call logs by business type, all businesses in a category pay the same rate, regardless of size or volume of transactions.

James Dunyon, who owns a small fast food restaurant in the south end of the county, questioned why, as an operator who does about $1,100 a day in business, he is paying the same fee — $1,692 a year — for police services as a bigger competitor who does quadruple the volume.

"This fee should be proportional to volume, and not just about category," Dunyon said. "I'm willing to help and pay my proportionate, reasonable share, but this isn't proportional or reasonable."