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Text messages, skip-tracing helped recover more than 70% of court-fine liabilities, presenter says
Summary
City-contracted collectors reported $560,722 in court fines turned over, with a 71.01% liquidation rate driven by skip-tracing, letters, calls and 2,227 text messages; the council heard details and asked about call-center staffing.
Shira Thompson, director of client services for the firm handling Highland Village’s court and utility collections, presented court-fine results to the council on Feb. 24.
"For court fines, the total turnover was $560,722 and that amount came from 1,287 cases turned over to us," Thompson said. She reported $132,639 in full and partial payments across 346 cases (23.66%) and a resolved amount of $265,532 (714 cases, 47.36%), yielding a total liquidated amount of $398,171 from 1,060 cases for a 71.01% collection percentage.
Thompson said the team uses skip tracing to locate defendants (878 address changes and 714 phone-number updates reported), mailed 4,762 letters, made more than 5,000 verbal contacts and sent 2,227 text messages as part of the outreach strategy. The presenters and council members discussed who makes the calls; Thompson said the firm operates five Texas call centers and emphasized the work is not offshored.
Council members also discussed the limited enforcement options available for court fines (no lien against property for fines alone) and alternatives the firm uses to resolve cases without resorting to arrest or jail. Thompson said the firm focuses on communication to avoid adding costs to defendants by filing suits, and noted text messaging proved especially effective in eliciting responses.
