More than one in 10 Tri-City property owners failed to pay their utility bills on time.
But that number for late payment is normal, say city staff in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody.
In Coquitlam, of the 45,000 account billings that went out for the March 31 deadline, some 5,000 — or 11% — did not pay by the due date, said Garry Jackson, manager of revenue services.
That percentage is about the same in Port Coquitlam, where 11% of property owners will be hit with penalties.
Brian North, PoCo's manager of revenue and collections, said staff encourage residents and businesses to sign up for the city's prepayment plan where the city can collect monthly payments starting in July for the next year's property tax and utility bills.
"We also encourage taxpayers to sign up for the city’s e-billing program, MyPortCoquitlam, to receive their utility bills electronically and then pay online or via telephone banking through the taxpayer's financial institution," he wrote in an email to The Tri-City News Thursday.
In Port Moody, the number of late payers is higher than in neighbouring cities, with 15% of accounts not paid by the Feb. 29 deadline — or 1,891 out of 12,201 bills. Still, that's less than last year when 19% didn't settle their utility bills by the deadline, said city spokesperson Rosemary Lodge.
