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Collection firm tells Highland Village council most delinquent taxes are off-limits or already reduced
Summary
A private collections firm told the Highland Village City Council it collected roughly 73% of 2023 tax accounts turned over to it and that a large share of the remaining delinquent roll is in deferral or legally protected status.
A private law firm that manages Highland Village’s delinquent-tax accounts told the council on Feb. 24 that the city’s transferred accounts show strong collection rates but large portions of the remaining balances are legally off-limits.
“On July 1, it was $193,000 that was turned over to our law firm,” Andy Brink, the associate attorney leading Highland Village’s accounts at Purdue Brand and Fielder Collins Mott, said during the presentation. He told the council the firm collected 73.40% of the 2023 cycle accounts during the following 12 months.
Brink and managing partner Doug Burnside walked council members through the collection timeline and a split between tax-year-specific results and the full delinquent roll. The firm reported that, across all years on the roll, roughly $180,000 remained as of Jan. 31 and that about 66% of that balance is tied to properties with over-65 or disability deferrals. “By law, we cannot collect or do collections activities on accounts that are in deferral,” Brink said, noting those protections explain a large portion of the remaining balance.
Council members asked how deferred liens are resolved; firm representatives said a lien attaches to property on Jan. 1 and heirs have six months to satisfy deferred amounts after an owner dies, after which collection activity may resume. The firm also explained the added collection fee structure: a 20% fee may be applied when a law firm is engaged under state rules, and those fees are charged to delinquent taxpayers, not the city.
The presentation closed with firm offers to provide quarterly reports or an annual update. Council members said they appreciated the briefing and directed staff to continue oversight of the city’s delinquent-roll management.
