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District delinquent-tax report: $24.3M levy, 97.5% collected; $978,000 turned over to attorneys
Summary
Delinquent-tax attorneys told the Santa Fe ISD board that for the 2024 tax year the district assessed about $24.3 million in base taxes, collected roughly 97.5% and turned just under $1 million to collection counsel. The attorneys outlined collection pathways, penalties, and multi‑year recovery rates.
Jason Bailey of the law firm presenting the district’s delinquent-tax collection report told trustees the 2024 tax levy was about $24,300,000 in base taxes and that Santa Fe ISD had collected roughly 97.5% of those taxes as of the presentation. That left about $978,000 of base tax turned over to the district’s collection attorneys on July 1 for further collection.
Bailey described the statutory collection timeline used by Texas tax offices: bills mailed in October, delinquency after Feb. 1 (penalty and interest begin), a pre-collection notice in May and turnover to collection counsel July 1, when an additional 20% collection penalty attaches. He said local penalty starts at 6%, rises to 12% on July and interest accrues at 1% per month until paid.
Bailey also summarized the office’s early results after turnover: about 40% of the base taxes turned over to counsel were collected in the first three months of collection, and the office uses outreach (calls, texts, title work) and, where appropriate, litigation. He noted categorizations on the roll: a small percent in bankruptcy; roughly $51,000 deferred (homestead deferrals for seniors or disabled homeowners); about $184,000 in active litigation; and roughly $59,000 on formal payment plans. Older tax years showed steady gains over time (collection rates rising to the high 70s or 80s percent after multiple years of work), Bailey said.
Trustees asked how Santa Fe’s collections compared with neighboring districts; Bailey said results vary by community but that Santa Fe’s first-year and multi‑year collection rates are within the range his office achieves for similar Texas districts.
No board action was required; the presentation was informational. Trustees did ask questions about litigation levels and the office’s preference to work cases before resorting to lawsuits.
