Park County approves contract with Collection Bureau Services to pursue unpaid Justice Court fines

Park County commissioners voted on June 11 to authorize the county to sign a contract with Collection Bureau Services to collect unpaid Justice Court fines and fees, contingent on county attorney review.

The Justice Court judge told commissioners the court’s unpaid fines and fees total roughly $330,000 in arrears and described ongoing compliance work by court clerks to pursue payments. "It's around the number of $330,000 in arrears, for fees and fines owed to Justice Court," the judge said. The judge said turning long‑delinquent balances over to a collections firm would shift follow‑up work from court staff to the contractor and allow the county to recover outstanding amounts without adding county staff.

The judge said county courts that use collections typically allow the collector to add a statutory fee to the outstanding balance. "By statute, it is legal. … They would add 25 percent to it," the judge said, describing the charge as a cost borne by the debtor, not by the county. The judge and others explained the county would generally quash small warrants and…