Licensing and taxation bureau reports stronger collections, asks for paralegal to boost civil enforcement
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Summary
Tax administrator Mike Hughes told the council that mercantile, amusement and parking tax revenue peaked in 2024 and that 2025 collections are tracking near or above last year; desk audits and civil collections recovered roughly $1.17 million year‑to‑date and the bureau requested one paralegal position to pursue delinquent accounts.
Mike Hughes, tax administrator, told council that the Bureau of Licensing, Taxation and Central Support has seen revenue recoveries since the pandemic: 2024 was an all‑time high for business and amusement taxes and the bureau expects to close 2025 near or above those totals when December payments are posted.
Hughes said desk auditing recovered $672,000 this year and civil collection hearings yielded about $498,000. New license issuance year‑to‑date includes roughly 500 mercantile licenses, 212 landlord licenses and 230 vendor licenses.
To bolster enforcement and improve collections, the bureau proposed adding one paralegal‑level position in the first quarter of 2026 to file additional civil complaints and identify landlords from weekly county property transfer lists. Hughes told council that filling the vacancy should increase civil collections and accelerate progress on delinquent accounts.
Council members praised the bureau’s customer service record and asked for follow‑up materials on year‑to‑date delinquency fee totals and a clearer public explanation of local filing obligations. Hughes said some legacy accounting and cash‑position reporting issues complicate historical trend tracking but that he would provide updated current‑year delinquency figures.