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Collections firm reports delinquent-tax and fines recovery figures to Freeport council
Summary
Purdue, Brandon, Felder, Collins & Mott LLP presented the city's annual collections update: roughly $236,000 in delinquent property taxes on the roll, $309,000 turned over for 2023 with $173,000 collected so far, and about $7.6 million in fines and fees turned over to collections with $2 million collected in cash resolutions.
Purdue, Brandon, Felder, Collins & Mott LLP told the Freeport City Council on March 17 that the firm’s collections work produced measurable recoveries for the city in the past year and outlined next steps.
David Bartlett, who delivered the presentation, said the county tax office collected roughly 93% of the city’s 2023 levy before accounts were turned over to collections. He reported delinquent property taxes on the firm’s roll at about $236,000 and said the firm received a $309,000 initial turnover for 2023; as of the report date, the firm had collected more than $173,000 of that amount.
Bartlett described the firm’s staged work: outreach by letter and phone, litigation and title research for nonresponsive accounts, and sale proceedings for properties that remain delinquent. He said the firm’s last tax sale included a Freeport property with roughly $3,800 in taxes that sold for $26,000; the property had an assessed value near $103,000. The firm’s next tax sale was scheduled for April 1.
On court fines and fees, Bartlett said the firm had approximately $7.6 million turned over for collection and reported more than $2 million in cash payments or other resolutions (about a 26% cash-collection rate). He said the overall resolution rate, counting noncash outcomes such as community service or time served, was about 86%. For outreach, the firm reported mailing roughly 61,000 letters, making about 20,000 phone calls and sending more than 1,200 texts.
Bartlett recommended citizens and council members who want alerts sign up for tax-sale notices at PBFCM.com. The presentation closed with an invitation for questions; council members did not raise substantive objections to the firm’s methodology during the meeting.
