People who owe delinquent garbage fees to Lincoln County shouldsoon be getting notices from a collection agency, county officialssaid.

Debbie Brent, solid waste collections coordinator, said 787notices were scheduled to go out Friday and people should startreceiving them early this week. Delinquent fees sought by thenotices total over $163,000 from those who are at least 12 monthsbehind in paying the bills.

“They have got to be a year or more delinquent,” Brent saidabout notice recipients.

The collection agency is the latest county attempt to get peopleto pay the garbage fees. On top of the delinquent fees, the agencyis charging a 25 percent penalty from which it will recoup itscosts of pursuing the case.

“It doesn’t cost the county to collect these fees,” said W.D.”Doug” Moak, District 4 supervisor and president of the board.

Previous efforts to collect the delinquent fees have includedgetting judgments in justice court. Moak reported “some success” inthat area, but he expected the collection agency will be bettersuited for seeking the past-due fees.

“I think they’ll stay on top of it more than the county was ableto,” Moak said.

Brent said the collection agency has more legal avenues topursue the fees than the county does. For those receiving notices,the delinquent fees will also show up on their credit records, shesaid.

The main method for the county to collect delinquent fees isthrough car tag purchase denial.

Moak said collections picked up after the county starting redflagging delinquent fees in the tax office. Brent agreed, but addedsome delinquent fees were still falling through the cracks.

“It’s getting the little bills, not the big bills,” Brent said.”They’re finding ways around it.”

With the delinquent fees turned over to the collection agency,Brent said the people’s names cannot be flagged in the car tagcomputer.

While the county has a collection rate of over 90 percent, araise in the fee from $6 a month to $7.50 a month was needed thisyear to cover garbage collection costs. Also, county officials saidcollecting a good percentage of the delinquent fees would go a longway toward covering an approximate $128,000 budget deficit thisyear.

Moak said the county is mandated by the state to pick up garbageand the county must cover the costs of that service. Whilegradually removing a levy on property taxes over the years,supervisors have said the garbage fee is the fairest method.

“Everybody should pay equally,” Moak said.