The Knox County Board has found someone to help them collect court fees that would often go unpaid before.Board Chair Brian Friedrich says Rev. Tyson Parks III had been working part-time role as a compliance officer for about a year but last night the finance committee went forward with hiring him full-time.
Friedrich tells WGIL Parks helps residents set up a payment plan towards their fees.
“The revenue was always there but it never was collected properly,” Friedrich says. “If people wanted to pay it they paid it and if they didn’t, the county chose never to do anything about it as far as pursuing it and trying to get them to pay it. Where now we’re actually setting up a method for them to pay and got a plan for them to pay so we’re just getting it back quicker.”
How it works is when people leave the courtroom and have unpaid fees, they are directed to visit Parks.
Parks then sits down and works out a payment plan based on ability to pay.
If after a certain period the payee isn’t meeting their requirements, Parks turns it over to a collection agency.
The committee also approved a motion to go before the full board to limit each county department to one credit card.
Friedrich says it’s not that anything “corrupt” was going on but a myriad of incidents were occurring like employees mistakenly using the county’s card and then reimbursing.
Cards are typically used for small, unexpected purchases he says.
