Collection contractor reports $5.3 million recovered; credits text-message campaign

Tara Holmes, local counsel for the county's collection vendor, and Cheyenne Alivas, the firm's collections manager, presented the contractor's historical report and operational update and said the office has significantly increased recoveries through targeted outreach.

Cheyenne Alivas (speaker 9) told the court, "the payments that we've been able to collect is $5,300,000 and then the court's been able to dispose, $1,200,000," and said that overall clearance of the initial turnover stands at 47.29%. She said the firm began an SMS/text campaign in mid-2024 that has been "extremely successful," reporting about 163,000 text messages sent and a noticeable bump in collections. The presenters said much of the older turnover included accounts unlikely to be collectible (deceased or long-incarcerated defendants), but that the firm continues research and outreach on older accounts.

Tara Holmes (speaker 7) framed the firm's local presence and approach, noting a small San Angelo office backed by statewide resources. Commissioners thanked the presenters for the data; one commissioner asked for more detailed, court-by-court breakdowns, which the firm said it can provide.

The presentation emphasized practical collection tactics used locally (letters, phone, text, research) and noted that the post-2020 average collection rate reported by the firm is about 84% on amounts turned over after 2020.