LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 81ST LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 13, 2009

TO:
Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
 
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB572 by England (Relating to the imposition by a county or municipality of fees related to certain collection services.), As Introduced

The amount of revenue gain to the state would depend on the number of eligible counties and municipalities that would implement provisions of the bill.

The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure to authorize a county commissioners court in a county with a population of 50,000 or more or the governing body of a municipality with a population of 100,000 or more to authorize the addition of collection fees for a collection program performed by employees of the commissioners court or of the governing body of the municipality, as applicable, rather than through a contract.

Under current statute, only a municipality with a population of more than 1.9 million is authorized to collect an additional collection fee if a collections program is performed by employees of the governing body of the municipality.

According to the Office of Court Administration, because a portion of court costs collected at the local level are submitted to the state, if a county or municipality was to implement provisions of the bill, both the local and state government would experience a revenue gain.


Local Government Impact

If Dallas County were to implement provisions of the bill, the county anticipates costs of $765,522 the first year of implementation for adding 24 new staff (salaries, capital outlay, supplies), falling to approximately $705,000 in each subsequent year, and revenue gains of $1.1 million, for a net positive fiscal impact of more than $334,000 per year.

Montgomery County estimates implementing provisions of the bill would result in an increase in revenue gain of $1.6 million per year. The county currently utilizes an in-house collection program performed by employees of the commissioners court. Under provisions of the bill, the county would be able to collect the additional fee not currently authorized.

The revenue gain would vary by county and municipality.



Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council
LBB Staff:
JOB, DB, SD