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Collection firm reports $2.38 million collected last calendar year and portfolio breakdown to Southwest ISD board
Summary
Outside counsel/collection firm Meinberger presented last‑year collections and current delinquent tax portfolio, including $2,380,539 collected and data on accounts subject to litigation and uncollectible accounts.
Meinberger, the law firm the district uses for delinquent tax collections, reported to the Southwest ISD Board that it collected $2,380,539 in the last calendar year and provided a snapshot of the district’s delinquent‑tax portfolio.
Julian Casillas and Lilia Gibson of Meinberger presented the firm’s 2024 collection report and described portfolio composition. They said 344 accounts — representing 31.2% of the firm’s active portfolio — are currently in litigation. The firm emphasized it tries payment agreements and multiple outreach steps before filing suit. They also noted 349 accounts have balances under $25, which the firm still attempts to collect but generally does not litigate.
Presenters said some balances are legally protected and therefore not collectible, including accounts subject to a residence homestead 65‑and‑older deferral, disability deferrals, veteran deferrals or accounts in bankruptcy. Meinberger reported nearly $1,100,000 receivable attributed to the 2023 tax year on the list of accounts turned over to the firm for collection in July; firm representatives said they aim to approach a 99.9% collection rate over time.
The presentation included monthly and calendar‑year breakdowns and identified a set of “notable collections” — a handful of large accounts concentrated among local developers — that disproportionately boosted certain months’ totals. Firm representatives described standard collection steps (phone calls, mailings, title orders) and said litigation is a last‑resort tool used when outreach and payment arrangements fail. Staff invited trustees to contact the firm with questions on individual accounts.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the collections process, account types that are uncollectible and the firm’s practices around payment agreements and litigation. Meinberger said the firm maintains an internal collections and bankruptcy team and offered to provide additional detail on any account at the board’s request.
