McCreary,Veselka, Bragg and Allen, P.C.

McCreary,Veselka, Bragg and Allen, P.C.

Written by Christi Snow Wednesday, 07 February 2007

Law firm helps county collect taxes

McCreary, Veselka, Bragg and Allen, P.C. law firm moved from Austin to Round Rock in January partly to be near their largest client, Williamson County. The firm serves as the tax collector for every government entity in Williamson County, except the city of Round Rock and Round Rock Independent School District.

Since it opened in 1961, the firm has operated in Central Texas helping local government collect delinquent taxes. If residents fail to pay their bill to the county, then MVBA will make sure they do. That can be difficult when it means foreclosing on someone’s property.

“Sometimes we try to help when there are real hardship cases,” law office partner Harvey Allen said. “We have heard every story. Some people, you feel sorry for them and the law allows some slack, but sometimes there is nothing you can do. At the end of the day, we have our duty.”

MVBA works within a less practiced area of law, and can name only two other firms in the state they consider major competitors—even then they believe they offer have more to offer clients.

“This firm was built on integrity and service,” said Clyde Craigen, who has worked with the company for 35 years. “That is it. Period. What we tell you is going to happen, happens. You can take it to the bank.”

Allen notes how business has changed for the firm. In the early years, secretaries kept everything logged in paper documents and typed letters individually. Now their firm has more than 160 employees, including 15 lawyers, who operate everything from a call service to a mailroom to a department that locates people who have moved or disappeared before paying their taxes or delinquent fees.

Four years ago, MVBA added a fines and fees department to their list of services after the Texas Legislature gave law firms the ability to provide a collection program for the courts, meaning the attorneys can collect delinquent court fines and fees, mostly Class C Misdemeanors, such as traffic violations.

As the elected Williamson County Tax Assessor, Deborah Hunt first started working with MVBA in the late 1990s. She remembers looking at a spreadsheet of six law offices before deciding on MVBA. For her, the firm’s willingness to make themselves accessible to their clients swayed her support in their favor. MVBA purposely opened an office in Georgetown, right by Hunt’s office. Their close location, she said, saves the county both time and money.

“They do a wonderful job, but they are also kind,” she said. “They are aggressive where they need to be, and they are attentive to where they need to be. They are very service-oriented.”

More than 98 percent of residents pay their property taxes on time, according to Harvey Allen, a partner of the MVBA law firm. However, for the less than two percent who do not, they will still have months of warning before local government takes legal action.

• Oct-Nov- Local government sends tax bills to residents
• Feb-March- Residents receive payment reminders, but until payment is made, penalties for late payment increase
• May- Residents who have not paid receive another reminder, which will include a paragraph warning if they fail to pay by June 31, they will become delinquent, meaning they must pay interest and possibly receive legal action against them.
• June 31- A tax payer becomes delinquent if he fails to pay the bill from the previous year.
• July- The MVBA law firm will contact the delinquent tax payer, warning of the ensuing legal action.

McCreary,Veselka, Bragg and Allen, P.C., 700 Jeffrey Way, Ste. 100, Round Rock, TX 78665, 512-323-3200 • mvbalaw.com