(1) Manner of collection. Unless discharged by payment, a fine, fines, costs, penalties and litigation taxes due may be collected in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action, but shall not be deemed part of the penalty, and no person shall be imprisoned for being in default solely of payment of costs and/or litigation taxes. The following shall be the allocation formula for moneys paid into court: the first moneys paid in any case shall first be credited toward payment of litigation taxes and once litigation taxes have been paid, the next moneys shall be credited toward payment of costs; then additional moneys shall be credited toward payment of the fine.
Methods of collection. The city attorney or his designee, may, in such person’s discretion, and shall, upon order of the court, institute proceedings to collect the debt as a civil judgment. In addition to all other remedies for collection amounts owed to the city, the city is authorized to employ the service of a collection agency to collect amounts owed to the city court. The contract between the municipality and the collection agency must be in writing. The written contract shall include a provision of specifying whether the agency may institute an action to collect fines and costs in a judicial proceeding.
(2) The city judge shall have the power and authority to enforce the collection of all fines, costs, and forfeitures imposed by him.
(3) Pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 40-24-105(e), the city is authorized to employ the services of a collection agency to collect amounts owed to the city court, where the fines and costs have not been collected within sixty (60) days after they were due. The collection agency may be paid an amount not exceeding forty percent (40%) of the sums collected as consideration for collecting the fines and costs. All collection agency fees shall not be deemed part of any penalty, but shall be deemed to be additional court costs.
(4) The city judge shall have the authority to declare tickets (including parking tickets) and warrants uncollectible and purge the city court records thereof after two (2) years from the date of violation.
(Ord. #098-06-18, July 1998, modified, as amended by Ord. #O19-06- 08, July 2019)