Debt Collection

Your Aug. 7 article and Aug. 10 editorial echo some of the concerns and complaints expressed to management over the past several years by employees of the [county’s treasurer-tax collector’s] Collection Services Division, but miss the main points made in the Citizen’s Economy and Efficiency Committee report.

Our division has lost over 60% of our staff over the past several years and those of us left have faced no pay increases or opportunities for advancement for a decade. We have requested a study to assess our needs and modifications to our collection system to enhance our effort.

We have been told that budget cuts prevented any replacement of staff, pay increase, system modification or workplace improvement.

There is much room for improvement in the collection of bad debt. I do not, however, agree that giving away 20% to 30% of the county’s receivables is improvement. A centralized, well-managed collections operation staffed with knowledgeable, motivated employees would be an improvement. Debt collection has been ignored for too long. It is time to spend money to make money.

ROBERT O. WATERS

Supervising Delinquent Account

Investigator, L.A. County