TRAVIS COUNTY TAX OFFICE COLLECTS RECORD REVENUE WITH FAR FEWER LAWSUITS
Nelda Wells Spears Hits 99 Percent Collection Rate With 10 Percent Fewer Lawsuits
(AUSTIN) — Travis County Tax Collector Nelda Wells Spears this week submitted her official report to the Commissioners Court for the year ending September 30, showing that her office hit a 99 percent collection rate two days after the close of the fiscal year, filed 10 percent fewer lawsuits, and brought in more than $1.8 billion in taxes to fund public schools, public health, and public safety.
“We matched the previous collection rate record, brought in $101 million more than last year with 70 fewer lawsuits, and did it all with only two extra days,” Spears said. “Best of all, these resources will go to fund vital public services, not private law firms.”
Last year, Travis County filed 675 lawsuits to collect taxes owed. This year, only 605 were filed to achieve the same collection rate. The $1.8 billion collected from all taxing jurisdictions compares to $1.7 billion last year.
The total amount of revenue brought in during the fiscal year was more than $2 billion from property taxes, vehicle registration and titles, court fines and fees, and all other sources.
Spears said a total of 256 properties were foreclosed upon and sold or auctioned off to make good on their tax debt. None of the properties was a homestead.
In addition, Spears’ office reported collecting nearly $2.6 million in county court fines and fees and more than $1.3 million in Justice of the Peace court fines and fees.
As Travis County’s chief tax expert, Spears has helped lead the fight against outside firms trying to arrange a contract to go after unpaid taxes for the county.
“With a 99 percent collection rate, we don’t need their help,” Spears said.
Had a contract with an outside firm been in place this year, Spears said, taxpayers would have paid an extra $2.4 million in fees to private lawyers during the three months from July to September.
“That’s a taxpayer rip-off that would have cost some County employees their jobs,” Spears said. “And that’s why I opposed privatizing collections while my opponent was nowhere to be found.”
The Travis County Tax Collector is responsible for collecting property and vehicle taxes and serves as the county’s official voter registrar. Spears has achieved a 99 percent tax collection rate two years in a row, the state’s best, and more than a 94 percent voter registration rate during the last presidential election, higher than any other major county in Texas.
Certified by the State Board of Tax Professional Examiners, Spears previously served as chief deputy to Tax Assessor-Collector Cecelia Burke and personnel director for State Comptroller Bob Bullock and Land Commissioner Garry Mauro.
Spears recently received the prestigious Best Practices Award for Exceptional Delivery of Services from the Texas Association of Counties Leadership Foundation. She also received the 2007 ComputerWorld Honors Laureate for the Application of the latest technology to improve access for taxpayers and small businesses.
