<div>Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean said his office has contracted with a Houston, Tex., law firm to aid in collecting old fines that have been ordered by the Hamilton County Session’s Court, Criminal Division.Clerk Dean said, "In an effort to continue our commitment to a fiscally responsible office, we have partnered with the law offices of Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins and Mott in Houston, Tex., for collections of delinquent fines. After a stringent RFP process (Request for Proposal), the firm was awarded the contract through the Hamilton County Purchasing and Procurement Department."Under TCA an outstanding fine owed to the court system is considered delinquent after six months. The Criminal Court Clerk’s Office does not turn the delinquent account over to the collection agency until it has been unpaid for one year, giving the defendant an extra six months to satisfy the debt. "Also of note is that under TCA the additional cost of collections is passed on to the defendant and collected by the independent collection agency. Defendants are still able to make payments through the Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk’s office once a case has been referred to the collection agency. "However, the additional collection fee is added to the amount owed. That collection fee is set by the collection agency, but capped by state law. "If you receive a letter stating that you owe uncollected fines to the court and feel that it is in error, please call our payment center at (423)209-6875. However, if you know that you have unpaid fines, no matter how old they are, then you should make arrangements to satisfy that debt. Both the collection agency and our office are happy to work with individuals to set up payment plans that will get the debt paid off. Please remember that our office did not levy these fines, they are merely there to collect them. If the court ordered you to pay them, then you owe them to Hamilton County. “Letters going out in the mail will have specific instructions as to how payment can be made. We urge defendants to also visit our website at www.hamiltontn.gov or download our new APP Hamilton County Judicial Services.“Remember, if you were told to pay a fine by the judge and haven’t done so, you still owe it. It never goes away, until it is paid.” </div>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Criminal Court Clerk's Office Hires Houston Law Firm To Help With Collecting Old Fines

Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean said his office has contracted with a Houston, Tex., law firm to aid in collecting old fines that have been ordered by the Hamilton County Session’s Court, Criminal Division. Clerk Dean said, \"In an effort to continue our commitment to a fiscally responsible office,...

Criminal Court Clerk Vince Dean said his office has contracted with a Houston, Tex., law firm to aid in collecting old fines that have been ordered by the Hamilton County Session’s Court, Criminal Division. Clerk Dean said, "In an effort to continue our commitment to a fiscally responsible office,...