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Lincolnwood finance director outlines 60-day amnesty option for older receivables; board signals support with limits
Summary
Finance Director Elizabeth presented roughly $323,000 in ENCODE receivables and $601,000 in older DACRA records and proposed a 60-day amnesty waiving interest and fees to encourage payment; trustees supported an amnesty with a suggested Jan. 2021 cutoff and a forthcoming RFP for collection services.
The Lincolnwood Committee of the Whole on May 5 heard a finance department proposal to pursue an enhanced collections process and a potential 60-day amnesty program aimed at certain municipal receivables, including parking tickets and administrative hearing judgments.
Finance Director Elizabeth told trustees the village’s ENCODE system shows about $323,000 in receivables across 1,053 records; older DACRA exports contain roughly $601,000 across 569 records. She said interest accrual required manual adjustments and that, under current code as presented, judgments accrue interest (described in the presentation as 5% applied on a 10-day schedule), which some trustees and the mayor described as excessive.
Elizabeth asked whether the board wanted staff to develop an amnesty program as an initial step before turning accounts over to collection agencies. She recommended a 60-day window during which staff would waive additional interest and collection fees and allow debtors to pay judgments plus court costs. The program could be limited to Lincolnwood residents or open to all debtors; staff also proposed direct mailings to records in the village systems and would rely on the upcoming RFP for collection agency services (the RFP is expected to be released in May 2026 and brought back for board approval July 21).
Trustees debated logistics and fairness. Some trustees urged opening amnesty to residents and nonresidents, noting the volume of outstanding accounts; others warned that very old DACRA records could surprise recipients and suggested limiting the range. The committee coalesced around limiting DACRA-era recoveries to records from Jan. 2021 forward, and members asked staff to return with program details and legal/code revisions to the interest provision.
Next steps: staff will finalize the RFP for collection services, prepare an amnesty program proposal (60 days, interest and collection-fee waivers during the period), and return to the board with draft ordinance/code changes and outreach plans for approval.
