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Published: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 / Updated: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 04:21 PM

There's a better way to collect

The City of Tega Cay has every right to collect outstanding storm drain fees owed by more than 220 residents. For one thing, the money is used to maintain infrastructure needed to prevent flooding during heavy rain. Also important is the city's need to tap all available sources of revenue while it works toward a balanced budget and rebuilds its depleted fund balance.

It's the collection method that's questionable.

After announcing it would take all delinquent property owners to court, the city has initiated three lawsuits and officials said they intend to file more. One of the problems with pursuing property owners in court is that after legal fees, it's estimated the city would spend $20,000 to collect $18,000 if it recovers the full amount from every property owner.

It's unclear why so many residents have not paid the fee, which is $96 a year. There has been grumbling that it's a backdoor tax and conceivably some residents withheld payment as a form of protest. It's also likely that a significant number of those in arrears are among the many local residents struggling financially because of the economy. Whatever the reason, we'd like to propose another way for the city to collect the needed revenue: Announce an amnesty program.

The city could set a 30-day period in which it suspends any further legal action and give the delinquent property owners an opportunity to settle their accounts. It could even go so far as to allow residents who can provide proof of financial hardship the option of paying a reduced amount. If, as we suspect, a good deal of the delinquencies are due to unexpected layoffs and pay cuts, this will provide a reasonable option for those who want to make good on their debts while putting some needed cash into the city treasury.

It's worth a try.

In the meantime, Tega Cay should come up with an alternative for paying storm drain costs. There's a range of options to consider, from rolling a small surcharge into the monthly utility department bills to charging more for trash and recycling service.

The task at hand though is finding a way to collect what's already owed without resorting to litigation. Even contracting with a collection agency to recover the fees would be a better alternative; an agency would also be able to offer residents a reduced amount if they agree to pay, but it would also be paid a percentage of what it collects. Still, that would be better than taking residents to court, which seems unnecessarily heavy-handed.

Congratulations to the Indian Land and Fort Mill high school cross country teams. Both schools won their region meets last week, bringing home team and individual titles.

It was a poignant victory for both schools. Many runners and coaches from Fort Mill and Indian either knew Luke Hoover, the Nation Ford High School runner who was killed in an auto accident on Oct. 17, or knew of him. There's no doubt Hoover's memory helped propel some of the championship runners across the challenging terrain.

Cross country demands a combination of endurance, agility and toughness; it's even more difficult when carrying the unexpected loss of an admire peer.

We wish our athletes all the best as they continue the quest for state titles, but hope they realize that this year, their performance in the region meets was special in a way that transcends sports.