I thought about the collection last week. I walked into the law offices of Fred Plimpton and walk out with a check for $5500. The secretary didn't even blink when I showed her my badge and explained that Mr. Plimpton owed back property taxes. She asked if she could give me a company check. I shrugged and said sure, "Money is money." She smiled, apologized for making me come out and wrote a check for the full amount. She said that the money would come out of petty cash, "wow," I whispered under my breath, "I wish I had that kind of petty cash." I looked forward to my 15%, thinking $825 isn't bad for fifteen minutes of work.
I delivered the check to the tax office at Town Hall, but there were no new collections waiting in my mail box. I went home to catch up on the paperwork of the unfinished cases. I sat at my desk to review the open files. I still have four outstanding collections.
Gracie, the young owner of the boutique on Main Street, is almost finished with her payments. She only owed $1200, and has been paying $100 every Friday. Looking over the file, I realized that after tomorrow's collection I should check in with Kaye at Town Hall for a final payment amount. I should be able to drop off the last check next week, if Gracie pays tomorrow. The three months went by so quickly, I'm going to miss visiting with her each week, Gracie is such a cute girl. I hope she survives this economy. A small clothing business, especially for such a targeted market is difficult in a good economy, but the odds are against her in this type of downturn. A young women's boutique, with bright colored clothing, flashy shoes and jewelry galore. She has a good head on her shoulders so hopefully she will be able to make a decent living and come out successful as the times get better.
The more difficult case in the file is the property tax collection from Alfred Stottlemeyer. Alfred owes on his trailer and is living on a disability check he receives the third of every month. He expects me to drive to his trailer parked at the outskirts of Danfield after the third of every month for a $100 check. The trip to his home, back to the tax collector and the cost of gas almost negates the effort to collect. With a $9000 total and 1.5% added back each month, Stottlemeyer will never catch up with his taxes. Last month he gave me an extra check to pay his current taxes. He said that I was going to Town Hall anyway, and that it is difficult for him to get around. The tax collector actually refused his check, stating that he had to pay by money order due to unpaid back taxes. I just shook my head. Here I am to drop off an Alfred Stottlemeyer check, and the tax collector refuses an Alfred Stottlemeyer check. Now, who am I to judge?
The next case, The Laundromat, is an interesting case . I remember stopping by the first week and to talk to the manager, returning the next afternoon to talk with the owner. The owner, Jose Miguel, claimed he did not owe any taxes since he just bought the business. I explained that he bought a business with taxes due on the equipment and his lawyer should have straightened out the tax mess before the closing. I explained that any questions should be through the tax assessor's office and provided the contact information. I left him my business card and a promise to return for money on Saturday of that week. At least the payments are coming in regularly now. The amount due will continue to increase with the 1.5% each month, and with the additional arguments that the sister-in-law, a partner in the business, should also be paying have somewhat subsided since I repeatedly explained that his name is on the warrant. I stop by the first Saturday of each month to collect $500 of the $5600 tax bill.
The best of the ongoing receipts is my newest case with a $8400 balance. After the first visit, which was actually held at a stairwell in a building on the west side of Town. I am receiving $500 every two weeks by mail. Brad Jackson was just leaving his office the day I stopped by with the warrant for the condo complex water tax. After receiving the explanation with the hard copy warrant, Brad asked that I not stop by the office for any reason. Saving gas money seems an added bonus, and the money is coming regularly. I do not have to see Jackson again until I have to explain that he still owes a certain amount due to the 1.5% interest accruing each month.
Enough paperwork for now as the saga continues.
