Starr County approves five-year contract with Linebarger for delinquent-tax collections

Starr County Commissioners Court approved written findings under Texas Government Code §2254 and a five-year contract with Linebarger Goggin Blair & Sampson LLP to handle collection of delinquent property taxes, during its April 28, 2025 meeting.

The court voted to adopt a written finding that delinquent-tax collection constitutes a specialized field and that the county cannot perform those services with existing county staff or on an hourly basis without incurring prohibitive costs. The finding cites the statutory requirement for a written statement of need for specialized contingent-fee legal services before approving such contracts. The court subsequently approved a five-year agreement for collections, effective at the meeting date and running through 2030.

Jimmy Wenceslas, attorney with Linebarger Goggin Blair & Sampson LLP, told the court that the firm has worked with Starr County for decades and described the agreement as consistent with past contracts. "We've been working with the county, for these agreements, with this kind of work for 38 years beginning on January on 02/01/1987," Wenceslas said. He asked the court to approve the written finding and the contract and thanked the court after the vote.

The transcript shows the motions carried by voice vote. Individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the meeting minutes provided and are not included in this report.

Court materials presented at the meeting described the contract as similar to prior agreements and identified the contract term as five years. The record does not include additional contract terms (fees as a percentage of collections, contingency details, or termination provisions). Those details were not provided in the transcript and are therefore not reported here.

The court heard no substantive public objections during the public-meeting portion of the item. The item proceeded from a noticed public-meeting portion into the regular Commissioners Court session, where the formal motions and voice votes took place.

The court's action maintains Starr County's existing contingent-fee arrangement for delinquent-tax collection with Linebarger Goggin Blair & Sampson LLP.