 | Now: 38°F | Low: 42° High: 62° |
E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeWhen a nudge is not enough to get someone to pay his bills, a collection agency might do the trick. At least that's the hope of the Madison County Circuit Clerk's office, which is trying to collect $500,000 in unpaid fines.
We particularly like that the deadbeats, not the taxpayers, will pay the costs. The collection firm makes its money by adding 28.5 percent to what is owed.
There hasn't been an aggressive effort to collect before now. Although warrants are issued for people who don't pay fines, the police generally don't seek out deadbeats.
Belleville and the American Bottoms ReWastewater have higher collections now that they can shut off the water of customers who don't pay their sewer bills.
Deadbeats add to the cost of operations. For the sake of people who pay on time, let's hope this hammer also works.
Commenting allows our readers to share information, insights and observations about the news stories on our site. We encourage lively, thoughtful discussion, but ask you to refrain from abusive, racist or profane comments. Do not attack other posters for their viewpoints, race, gender or sexual orientation. We do not monitor each and every posting, but reserve the right to delete comments that violate these rules. Notify us of violations by hitting the "Report Abuse" button. Repeat or flagrant offenders will lose their commenting privileges, at our discretion.
@Nyx.CommentBody@