Titus County approves contingency contract to collect JP fines; consultant reports on $596,000 delinquent tax turnover

The Titus County Commissioners Court on Sept. 8 approved a contingency-fee contract with Purdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins, and Mott LLP to collect delinquent fines and fees from the county’s Justice of the Peace courts.

Patrick Woods, an attorney with the firm, told the court the contract would operate at no net cost to the county: the statutory penalty for collection work is 30 percent and is passed through to defendants, not paid by Titus County. “This does not cost the county a dime,” Woods said during his presentation.

Woods and Tiger Wersham, identified in the presentation as the county consultant, said the firm already works for roughly 100 counties across Texas and provides collection services for both court fines and delinquent property taxes. Melissa Stevens, Titus County’s tax assessor-collector, was present and identified as a partner in the coordination work with the firm.

Key points from the law firm presentation and supporting materials: - Turnover amount: Woods said the delinquent-tax turnover to the firm on July 1 was $596,000; the firm had collected about 35 percent of that amount by the time of the Sept. 8 meeting. - Pre-litigation work: Woods reported…