Madison County discusses forfeiture funds and plans to boost court-debt collections

Madison County officials clarified how forfeiture funds appear in the county budget and discussed plans to increase collections of outstanding court debt.

The County Attorney explained that forfeiture money the office receives is separate revenue that does not come from the county general fund; when spent, those forfeiture dollars must be listed as expenditures on the office worksheet. The board and staff confirmed forfeiture receipts are recorded on the revenue side of the worksheet and that the office retains a percentage of collections for local use.

On increasing collections, the County Attorney said the office plans to pursue more active collection efforts next year when staffing improves, including sending letters and considering garnishments where feasible. He noted practical limits: many people change jobs and addresses, making garnishment and wage withholding difficult and time-consuming. The County Attorney said counties previously used outside collection firms (the transcript mentions a Kansas firm used in the past) but that legislative changes now allow counties to retain a larger share of collections. He framed the problem in broader terms, stating the state has "over $1,000,000,000 in outstanding court debt," underscoring the scale of uncollected fines and fees.

The board asked staff to ensure forfeiture revenues are correctly recorded and to continue evaluating feasible collection methods; no policy change or vote was taken at the session.