Radford Council considers write off of $952,000 in uncollectable accounts

By DAVID QUESENBERRY

Patriot Publishing

At its meeting Monday (July 14), Radford City Council considered a resolution approving procedures for the City to “write off” about $952,000 in uncollectable accounts.

During discussion, Mayor David Horton said the resolution authorized the City’s Treasurer to write-off utility and general billing accounts that were delinquent by five years and found to be uncollectable.

Councilman Guy Wohlford asked about the amount of delinquent accounts. Interim City Manager Craig Meadows responded that the delinquent accounts totaled about $952,000.

Meadows explained that the reason the number was so large was that there were two types of “write-offs,” one of which was general billing. General billing covered various charges such as garbage charges, pole rentals, and charges for city damages.

Meadows said those charges had been billed by the Treasurer’s Office but had not been collected and had been accumulating since Fiscal Year 2008. Those charges had not been written off and the auditors had pointed out for several years that they needed to be written off if they were uncollectable.

The other type of write-off was utility bills that were more than two years old. After two years, the auditor’s recommendation was that these accounts should be written off. Meadows said the vast majority of the outstanding $952,000 was in general billing for miscellaneous charges that went back to FY 2008.

Councilman Seth Gillespie asked Meadows about policies and procedures that Council should consider to find out the outstanding amounts and the efforts made to collect them. Meadows replied that he first became aware of the issue on June 30^th.

“That’s a staggering figure ($952,000) and it’s an amount that should have been dealt with one way or the other over the years. It should have been written off sooner. If it’s truly uncollectable; which honestly if there are charges that go back all the way to Fiscal Year 2008, it’s not collectable at that point,” said Meadows.

Meadows suggested there had to be some process for accountability for reporting to the Council on how these fees and charges were being collected.

Councilwoman Jessi Foster asked for a breakdown of the accounts due, the process for collections, and proposals for a solution. Councilwoman Kelli Artrip said she wanted more accountability and suggested getting information as to how other localities compared with the City. Artrip said she would like at least a quarterly report as to where things stood.

After a brief discussion, Council decided to move consideration of the resolution to its August meeting.

Also at its Monday meeting, council welcomed the City’s new manager, Todd Meredith.

Mayor Horton introduced Meredith by noting his professional and educational achievements. Prior to coming to Radford, Meredith served as the Town Manager of Pearisburg since 2017 and prior to his work in local government spent a decade as a public-school teacher. While at Pearisburg, Meredith led initiatives focusing on infrastructure improvement, fiscal responsibility and regional cooperation.

Among his many activities was serving as the Board Chair of the Giles County Public Service Authority and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Carillion Giles Community Hospital and the Virginia’s First Regional Industrial Facility Authority.

Meredith holds a Master of Public Administration degree (MPA) from Virginia Tech and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Virginia Tech. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Science and a Master of Science in Education from Radford University.

Concerning his professional activities and certifications, Meredith completed the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. He also completed the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia with a specialty in organizational efficiency and performance improvement.

Meredith is a Credentialed Manager by the International City Management Association and is a member of the Virginia Local Government Management Association.

After the introduction, Meredith said, “My goal is to provide you all with an organization that is strategic, aligned with your vision, your values, the values of the community; that is not only strategic but also responsive to the ever-evolving needs of the community. We want to be efficient and effective. We also want to do those things in a manner that provides the highest quality service as possible at the cheapest cost possible.”

Meredith will begin his duties as City Manager on Monday, July 21^st.

In other action, City Council reviewed a resolution to approve the City’s participation in the proposed settlement of opioid claims.

Mayor Horton explained that Radford was one of several Virginia municipalities participating in the opioid lawsuits across the Commonwealth, which resulted in several thousand dollars coming into the City.

Outside legal counsel had identified what Horton termed “artifact defendants” whose role in the opioid litigation was smaller in scope. Those defendants identified as Henry Schine, Inc.; General Injectables & Vaccines, Inc.; and Insource Inc., had proposed to settle all claims by Virginia localities for $450,000. Radford City’s portion of the settlement, according to the draft agreement would be $1,531.86. Council voted unanimously to approve the resolution for the City’s participation in the proposed settlement of the opioid claims.

Council also unanimously voted to accept a bid from USALCO to supply poly-aluminum chloride for the City’s water treatment plant.

According to a memo from Wade Vanhoy, Director of Water Treatment, USALCO’s product had proven to be more efficient and least costly at 32.5 cents per pound and its delivery by USALCO had been “above average and dependable.”

Council also unanimously approved a Declaration of a Local Emergency for the City for June 26, 2025, in response to a severe storm which dumped five inches of rain on the City in less than 90 minutes.

Meadows told Council that assessment of the damages was continuing. Wildwood Park, Armentrout Circle and City facilities along Park Drive were mentioned as areas damaged by the storm.

Meadows estimated the cost of the damages at $100, 000. There would probably not be a state declaration of an emergency from the flash flooding, but local emergency declarations were issued in case funding became available.

He expressed his appreciation for Council’s support in declaring an emergency.

Council approved six appropriation ordinances for a total of $544,366 in grant funds recently awarded to the Radford City Police Department. Those grants were: GIS Data Management Grant, $8,000; PSAP Training Grant, $4,000; First Responder Wellness Grant, $26,178; School Resource Officer Grant, $75,333; Call Handling Equipment Grant, $300,000, and an Operation Ceasefire Grant, $130,000.

Council then went into closed session to discuss personnel matters as provided by the Virginia Code.

The next scheduled meeting of the Radford City Council will be at 7:00 pm on Monday, August 11, 2025 in the Council Chambers of Radford City Hall at 10 Robertson Street.