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Van Buren County supervisors discuss options to collect delinquent court debt; legal questions raised about ISAC program
Summary
Supervisors discussed starting local collections of delinquent court debt, weighing a shared 28E agreement with Lee County, ISAC’s new 50/50 program, or building internal capacity. County staff cited a $25,000 minimum threshold for revenue sharing and said they would file notice to begin collections.
Unidentified Speaker 6 told the Van Buren County Board of Supervisors that state code allows the county attorney to collect delinquent court debt and asked whether the board wanted to pursue collection locally or partner with another entity. He said a 28E agreement with Lee County would let Lee perform collections for a reduced split, while ISAC recently launched a program that would collect on a 50/50 split.
"We have a 28 k agreement for us, on a cheaper split," Unidentified Speaker 6 said, adding that Lee County employs a full-time person dedicated to collections and that a county of Lee brought in substantial billings in other counties. He estimated a $25,000 minimum threshold for meaningful revenue-sharing and said some collections share a portion back to the general fund.
Board members pressed on operational and legal details. Unidentified Speaker 6 said ISAC may be new enough that its program raised questions about whether the relevant code sections permit contracting with entities other than other counties. "I have some concerns about the legality of having ISAC do it," he said, reading code language about 20/80 agreements and inter-county contracts.
Unidentified Speaker 2 and others voiced preference for pursuing a 28E agreement and said they would be "perfectly happy" for the county to continue negotiating with LeeAnne (a named contact in the discussion). Unidentified Speaker 6 said he would continue discussions, seek a drafted 20/80 agreement and a resolution, and file the notice with the clerk this week to begin collections.
No formal vote on adopting a specific vendor or contract was recorded; the board directed staff to pursue a 28E agreement, gather further data on expected revenues, and return a drafted agreement and resolution for the next meeting. The transcript records multiple expressions of interest in seeing financial estimates and the legal language before any final decision.
Next steps: staff will continue negotiations with Lee County and ISAC, prepare a draft 28E agreement and a resolution for board consideration, and file notice to start collections with the clerk as described by Unidentified Speaker 6.
