Santa Fe May Go After Debtors

City staff would inventory all debts owed the city – including fines, fees, citations, taxes and other obligations – and come up with a plan for getting the money under a resolution slated for consideration Wednesday by the City Council.

The measure should result in “another tool to collect as many of the fees that are owed to us as possible,” City Manager Robert Romero said.

If the council approves the resolution, city staff will “evaluate the city’s legal rights, remedies and options for civil enforcement and collection of unpaid balances” and assess whether the city should “engage in collection activities either through itself or through a contractor,” the resolution said.

If lesser measures don’t work, the city would move forward with civil litigation, City Attorney Geno Zamora said.

City officials haven’t tallied exactly how much is owed the municipality, but it could easily run into the millions of dollars.