(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—The Ohio Attorney General’s Office ended Fiscal Year 2014 with the largest amount of debt collected ever. The office announced today that it collected more than $471 million in debts owed to state and local government entities in the fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2014.
“I am pleased that the team we have put together in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has brought in more previously unpaid debt than any other administration,” Attorney General DeWine said. “Because these recovered funds directly reduce the strain on government budgets, a successful collections operation is one of the most important ways we can protect Ohio taxpayers.”
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office serves as the mandatory collections agent for all state government entities and public colleges and universities. Entities who are owed unpaid financial obligations from taxpayers certify these debts to the Attorney General’s Office for collection. The Attorney General’s Office then works to obtain payment in full or set up a payment plan with the taxpayer.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Collections Enforcement Section is the section responsible for overseeing collections efforts. Like other Ohio government entities, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office operates on a fiscal year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30. The section also retains special counsel and third party debt collection firms to enhance collections efforts, and those contracts are also awarded on a fiscal year basis.
Ohio Attorney General's Office Collections by Fiscal Year
| Fiscal Year |
Total Debt Collected |
| 2009 |
$356,832,384 |
| 2010 |
$377,404,243 |
| 2011 |
$457,370,250 |
| 2012 |
$466,660,147 |
| 2013 |
$465,231,671 |
| 2014 |
$471,860,065 |
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Eve Mueller: 614-466-3840