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Stow Municipal Court takes judges out of debt collection game with new unpaid fine approach
TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 20, 2015
In any given year, Stow Municipal Court is forced to send about $1 million in unpaid fines and costs to collection agencies.
On Aug. 3, the court started a unique program to try and glean a higher rate of return while helping those owing money.
Former Munroe Falls Police Chief Steve Stahl will split his duties between the court’s community control department and clerk’s office.
As a deputy clerk, Stahl will oversee the collection of unpaid money to help people avoid state penalties, including referral to a collection agency, being ordered to community service, civil judgments, forfeiture of assets, forfeiture of state income tax returns, driving registration blocks, driver’s license forfeiture and jail.
“Every court in the country has a lot of outstanding fines,” said Stow Municipal Clerk of Court Kevin Coughlin. “Judges have been doing a lot of that, and judges really shouldn’t be in the collection game. That’s the clerk’s job. Every now and then, someone says, `I can’t pay.’ Now, they’ll be ordered to meet with Steve on a regular basis.”
Those who can’t pay their fines and costs in full on the day of sentencing will have three options: pay in full within two weeks, fill out some forms to get on a payment plan or use sweat equity.
“If they go into the program, they can do things like mow the lawn, weed the landscape, clean toilets,” Coughlin said. “My guess is people aren’t going to want to do that, so they’re going to find a way to pay. Right now, our rate of return is about 6 percent from those in collections.”
Paying earlier also makes sense for defendants, as collection agencies tack on about 30 percent of what they owe, the clerk added.
Stahl, of Munroe Falls, started with the court several months ago. His duties already involved having defendants work off their debts.
“I expect that will become a greater part of our efforts to settle these unpaid accounts,” Coughlin said.
Stahl, a member of the Munroe Falls City Council, also worked for 10 years at Summit County Juvenile Court.
He estimates he already has at least 800 people waiting to get into the program.
“Most of them want a payment plan to pay whatever they want, whenever they want, and that ain’t happening,” said Stahl. “Those without jobs, I recommend they work it off. But many of them come right back with the money, choosing to borrow it. They used to meet with bailiffs about payment plans, but now they just see me. It’s not at all unusual for people to owe on three different cases for three different judges. Now we can handle all the cases at the same time. It’s convenient for the defendants, because they won’t have to come here as often.”
Stahl anticipates pushing community service more in this economy.
“They can do janitorial work and trash and leaf pickup,” he added. “We also have substantial gardens at the court growing food for the food bank, or they can weed the flower beds or dig up potatoes in the potato patch. If the numbers justify it, we may eventually send people to help out at the other 15 communities the court serves.”
Meanwhile, Stow Municipal Court – which moved from Cuyahoga Falls in January 2009 -- is practicing what it preaches when it comes to debt.
Coughlin recently announced that the court has paid all construction costs for the $11 million facility-- 53 months ahead of schedule.