Debt Collectors May Start Calling Mayor...After he Expanded Collection Program

Homestead, Fla. Mayor Steve Bateman may be getting calls from a collection agency over a debt he owes to the city’s development services department, according to the Miami Herald. Interestingly, Bateman recently voted to expand the purview of the private collection agency to include the government department he owes money to.

Bateman, along with the City Council, voted in late June to expand the town’s collection contract with collection agency Online Information Services to include more departments, including development which would cover an additional $1 million in debt owed to Homestead.

The mayor’s bills are owed to Homestead’s development services department for reviewing building plans. Bateman is the owner of the company Two Brothers Construction.

The paper noted that the mayor owes about $11,000 to the development department.

Bateman said he intends to pay, but that the development department needs to reach out to him first to talk about the bills.

“I’ll wait till they tell me, ‘Hey, let’s sit down, Mr. Mayor,’” Bateman told the Miami Herald.

Related Content:

• Local, State, and Federal Government Debt Collection Report