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AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET PROJECT: Discuss proposals for and consider a resolution approving and authorizing a professional services contract to provide delinquent tax collection services for the City of Paris. BACKGROUND: By adoption of Resolution No. 2001-154, the City Council authorized the City Attorney to solicit proposals from qualified attorneys and law firms to represent the City in the collection of delinquent taxes. The Professional Services Contract with the current attorney collecting the City's taxes is at an end and the City Council authorized proposals to select legal representation for this important function. The City Attorney prepared a Request for Proposal and solicited suggestions from the Texas Municipal League as well as researched other source material to identify firms within the state of Texas qualified to do municipal tax collection. As a result of this process, five law firms in addition to the attorney currently performing the tax collection services were forwarded Requests for Proposals. Of those solicitations, the City received five (5) proposals. Section 6.30(b) of the Texas Tax Code authorizes the governing body of a taxing unit other than the County to determine who represents the unit to enforce the collection of delinquent taxes. Therefore, although the City Charter envisions involvement of the City Attorney in this process, the governing body must make the final determination as to who will provide representation for this most important function. DESCRIPTION: The City is currently represented in its tax collection efforts by Mr. Terry K. Haynes, Attorney at Law. Mr. Haynes has submitted his proposal to continue his services, a copy of which is included with the agenda materials. In addition to Mr. Haynes's proposal, the City received a proposal from Linebarger Heard Goggan Blair Graham Pena and Sampson, LLP; the firm of McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen; the firm of Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins & Mott; and the firm of Gay, McCall, Isaacks, Gordon & Roberts, P.C.. Copies of the Request for Proposal, along with the proposals of each of the five attorneys or law firms responding are included in the agenda package and are recommended for your review. Based on a review of these materials, the City Attorney has reached the following conclusions: 1. All the firms and the individual submitting proposals meet or exceed the minimum qualifications and requirements as set out in the RFP, and in fact each of the proposers appears to be highly qualified and experienced in the process of tax collection; 2. Each of the proposers is willing to work for the compensation which the City is offering, that being the fifteen percent (15%) additional penalty authorized under the Tax Code, plus other fees likewise authorized under State Law, such that all costs of the collection process should be paid for by the delinquent taxpayer; 3. Each of the proposers has responded in some fashion favorably to the City's ongoing and developing homestead program, and it does not appear that the fees collected by delinquent tax attorneys will in any way inhibit that program;