The City Council on Wednesday wrote off $30,773 in unpaid garbage bills and pilot fees from 2004-07 as a housekeeping measure to clear the city’s books.

The debt includes $25,089 in garbage collection and $5,684 for pilot fees.

The unanimously passed motion states that past-due account holders cannot be located since they’ve either moved with no forwarding address or have changed their names.

Councilman Bailey Yelding, who sits on the Public Works Committee, requested the list of names on the accounts in question be included in the motion.

Councilman John Lake recommended the city incorporate a deposit system as a safeguard measure.

“Why can’t we put a deposit for garbage, just like we do with water and sewer and have that deposit forfeited if they don’t pay?” Lake said.

Council President August Palumbo agreed.

“It’s not a bad idea because we do have a large number of delinquents,” he said.

Mayor Fred Small said steps have been taken to address more current garbage collection debts.

“At this time, we’ve got a few people getting the judge to make them a certified officer of Public Works,” Small said. These individuals would serve as collection agents for the city.

Councilman Ron Scott said collections can still be made once the city has written off the debt.

The debt can be passed onto a collection agency to continue the process of locating individuals with delinquent accounts, according to city Finance Director Kim Briley.

In other business, the council:

City attorney Jay Ross said he found no documentation of the city of Daphne officially accepting easements upon the annexation of Lake Forest in 1989.