The Carroll County Attorney's Office collected $118,922 last month from local businesses and from inmates at the Carroll County Detention Center with delinquent accounts.

"It's an extraordinarily high amount," County Attorney Laurell Taylor told the Board of County Commissioners yesterday.

In a typical month, the office collects $60,000 to $70,000, she said.

Much of the money came from business owners who owed personal property tax, Taylor said. The tax is assessed on items such as office equipment.

Taylor attributed the increase in collections to two factors: a mass mailing sent to businesses with delinquent accounts and to actions of the sheriff's office.

"Since Sheriff [Kenneth L.] Tregoning took office, the sheriff's office has been much more active about going after inmates for medical costs," she said.

Tregoning, whose term started in December, is trying to increase revenue by collecting as much as $123,000 in medical debts owed by former inmates.

Pub Date: 4/07/99