Gov. Guinn wants payment policy to be put in check

Thursday, Nov. 11, 1999 | 9:58 a.m.

During a Board of Examiners meeting Wednesday, Guinn said he has seen too many checks for tiny amounts sent out by the state controller to cover obligations.

He said the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety is trying to collect on boxes of bad debts for small amounts of money that date back 10 years. The department gets 1,300 bad checks a month.

Guinn said the agency spends too much time trying to collect old $50 debts, while ignoring debts of $40,000.

Instead of concentrating on the small sums, Guinn said the state must devote its resources to collecting big debts and auditing businesses that may owe millions.

"You have to look at the return you get for your energy," Guinn said. "This is becoming an expensive operation."

He requested that the board consider in December a new policy on bad debt collections. The governor added that his own auditors and legislative auditors estimate as much as $60 million in tax obligations has not been collected from businesses.

The Board of Examiners consists of Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, Secretary of State Dean Heller and Guinn.