City Nets $40K From Backlog of Unpaid Fines, More to Come

Muskego judicial clerks have been working on a nearly 30-year backlog of unpaid citations using a system that the city recently approved, and so far they've recaptured $40,000, representing only about one-quarter to one-third of the outstanding fines.

However, they've told the finance committee, and Tuesday night the Common Council, that the work needed to keep up is more than they can handle at present staffing levels, and requested a part-time position become full time to keep up. The council approved the request.

Clerk Susan Hutcheson's task has been to delve into cases where court fines had gone unpaid and uncollected by the city, and the newer program called TIPS allows the courts to employ tax intercept to garner fines from the delinquent defendants.

Tax intercept uses money that defendants would normally receive through state tax refunds, lottery winnings and other such income and draws whatever is owed on warrants into the courts for payment. Entering the information takes more time, however.

Hutcheson told the council that since December 2012, the addition of records into the tax intercept program has brought in $40,000 in previously uncollected fines. She explained that she and part-time clerk Emily Herda had "just gotten started" on the backlog, and said that even after they catch up, the revenue increase would reach a constant for the city.

Alderman Dan Soltysiak presented the most opposition to the request — and the only dissenting vote — reiterating his position on the Finance Committee that now was not the time to upgrade the position.

"Budget time is the right time to have this discussion. I don't know where this money is coming from, and the additional cost for a full time position will be ongoing," he said.

The request would cost the city an additional $19,800 in payroll for the remainder of this year, and $27,800 next year, and several council members pointed to the fact that the incoming revenue already exceeded the additional cost for the position. In addition, some felt that the city has been frugal enough in staffing, and this was a point where it might be time to add hours.

"We asked the judge (Patrick Berrigan) to try and work without half a person when this was suggested last year, and we told him to come back to us if he felt it wasn't working," said Alderman Neil Borgman, who also sits on the Finance Committee. "I took that as a promise to him that we would help him out if he needed it. We're aware that we're running lean and mean on all of our departments, and I believe the judge when he tells us 'I don't think this can work.'"

Hutcheson reassured the council as well that while the money captured will decrease as they catch up on the backlog, there would still be an overall increase in revenue coming in from tax intercept.