Treasure's office briefs commission on revenue-recovery option and online personal-property exemptions

The Rich County treasurer's office presented information about a state- affiliated revenue-recovery program and an update on personal-property exemption processing that county staff said is increasingly handled online.

Lejean Argyle (speaker 9), county treasurer, explained two parcels created in a prior Maytag sale were not linked properly on the tax roll and asked the commission to clear a small 2021 tax delinquency; the board approved an adjustment to the roll. Argyle and a presenter in the treasurer's packet also described the Utah Revenue Recovery Program (URRP) and a private vendor option (JCI) that would pursue delinquent accounts by sending letters and, if required, garnishing state income-tax refunds. The presenter said URRP/JCI charge no upfront fee and retain a $30 collection fee per account when recovered and reported a roughly 50% initial response rate after the first letter.

The presenter also described MOUs that would be required (one with the Utah Association of Counties program and one with the Utah Division of Finance) if the county wants to join the state program. Commissioners asked for more information and vendor experience; one commissioner suggested staff talk to other counties that use the program and report back.

Separately, staff reported improvements in personal-property exemption administration: more filers are using online forms and the office is tracking sign statements and exemptions to ensure qualifying assets are exempted. Staff emphasized that final exemption approvals require Board of Equalization action.

Outcome: The commission approved the tax-roll adjustment for the mislisted Maytag-sale parcels and asked staff to research the revenue recovery option and return with additional details and examples from other counties. No contract or MOU was signed at the meeting.