Marengo High School Makes State Comptroller Its Collection Agency

Local governments are doing this all over the state, so people should be surprised.

Pass a resolution asking the State Comptroller to subtract any money owed to the tax district and it shall be taken out of income tax refunds or other money one would otherwise get from state government.

Here’s an explanation from Marengo School District 154’s web site about the process:

NOTIFICATION OF LOCAL DEBT RECOVERY PROGRAM

Marengo High School

Marengo High School

The Board of Education approved and signed an Intergovernmental Agreement with the State of Illinois Comptroller’s Office at its September 28, 2015, meeting.

The purpose of the agreement is to provide Marengo Community High School District 154 access to the Local Debt Recovery Program for purposes of collecting debts owed to it.

The Illinois Comptroller operates a system to aid collection of debt owed to local governing units by offsetting payments to individuals from the State and transferring them to local governing units.

What does this mean to you?

If you have an ongoing outstanding balance, we will provide you with written notification that we are certifying a claim to the Illinois Comptroller’s Office for offset.

An opportunity to challenge the claim through an informal proceeding to refute the claim’s existence, amount, or current collectability shall be provided.

Should the Illinois Comptroller’s Office receive a claim in your name, prior to the Comptroller issuing you a state tax refund, commercial payment, lottery winning, state retirement check, etc., the amount owed to the local government (MCHS) will be deducted and deposited in the Comptroller’s Local Debt Recovery Trust.

You will be provided with a written notice of the action and have 60 days to protest the deduction with the Illinois Office of the Comptroller.

If no protest is made at the end of the 60 day period, the amount owed will be transferred to the local governing unit (MCHS). »


Comments

Marengo High School Makes State Comptroller Its Collection Agency — 3 Comments

  1. Is this program specifically designed to go after debt owed to the School by families who have children in the H.S.?

    If it is, then I am NOT in favor of this action what-so-ever.

  2. This program, along with using 3rd party debt collection agencies, is used by school districts to collect unpaid fees for registration fees, activity fees, etc.

    Typically, students that already qualify under the free and reduced meal programs are usually exempt from paying these types of fees.

    Therefore, the only parents that may be subject to collection efforts are ones that can afford it yet choose not to pay.

    It is blatantly unfair to those families that follow the rules and pay their way and have to see others get away with paying nothing without any consequences.

    Since school districts cannot remove a student when their fees have not been paid, the only recourse is this type of debt collection effort.

  3. To suggest that the schools are not questionable in selecting who will qualify as low income is in my opinion not correct.

    I think its outrageous that schools can harm any tax paying parent for ANY reason.

    Do schools exist to SERVE the tax payer or is it the other way around?

    In Marengo the average income is 53 K per year..

    The only people ” Getting away with anything” are all the illegals who qualify as low income,,can attend any school they wish to attend and get everything for free all the while working for cash or using someones stolen S.Security number.

    I highly doubt people rolling in money as you suggest, are milking the system….

    No,, it’s hard working middle class income folks who have been squeezed to the limit..

    But then if some people are in a County, Government or working in Administration for a school district or a long time teacher they wouldn’t know what difficult times are all about because they continue to get plenty of raises and retirement contribution.

    The last thing that a public… that’s PUBLIC SCHOOL needs is another strong arm to abuse parents and children of hard working middle class tax payers..

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