NJ Town Council Approves Ordinance that Makes Property Owners Responsible for Service Fees

Posted on January 3, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

When North Judson Town Council members met in a special session at the end of December, they approved an ordinance establishing a policy that makes property owners responsible for the collection and payment of service fees at all of their properties.

This ordinance was constructed by Town Attorney Justin Schramm, at the request of Billing Clerk Jennifer Vanek.

Vanek came before the council with this suggestion during their first meeting in December, noting consistent problems with utility bills being in the name of individual renters. At that time, she noted that Winamac recently passed a similar ordinance after facing the same type of issues.

In addition to stating that property owners will now be responsible for collecting and paying utility service fees at all of their properties, North Judson’s ordinance gives owners six months to get the utilities switched over to their name. That means that by June 30th of 2019, all properties must be in the owner’s name.

Since the ordinance deals with fees, Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe said it had to be published before it could go into effect. The notice was initially posted in the newspaper on December 28th and the ordinance will go into effect on January 27th.

Town officials noted that there is no charge associated with switching the fees over and that property owners can take care of that by contacting or visiting North Judson Town Hall, located at 310 Lane Street.

If you have any questions about the ordinance itself or the process of switching over the utilities call 574-896-3340.

NJ Billing Clerk to Coordinate with Town Attorney about Ordinance Pertaining to Utility Bills and Rental Properties

Posted on December 12, 2018
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI

North Judson’s billing clerk came before the Town Council last Monday to discuss the possibility of developing an ordinance that would change the way the town bills utilities at rented properties.

Billing Clerk Jennifer Vanek described the current method of billing renters for their utilities as cumbersome. She asked the council to consider creating an ordinance that would require a property owner to keep all bills in their name.

She noted that Town Attorney Justin Schramm is familiar with the process since he just recently created a similar ordinance for the Town of Winamac.

Vanek mentioned that there would be a couple of benefits to switching the procedure. For instance, the Town would save significantly on postage and envelopes since they would be able to bulk the bills for a particular property owner and send them all together rather than sending out one bill to each individual tenant.

Vanek said the change would also reduce the clerical work since Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe would no longer be required to take deposits or establish new accounts every time a renter switches.

Councilman James Young voiced his support for the proposed ordinance and noted that it would add more accountability into the renting process. Councilwoman Jane Ellen Felchuck mentioned that as someone who rents properties, this is a practice she has personally been utilizing for years and she doesn’t find it to be difficult.

A motion was made to allow Vanek to work with Town Attorney Schramm to create the ordinance described in her request. The motion passed with unanimous council approval