Baltimore Circuit Court clerk’s office did not refer more than $7 million in outstanding fees to collections, audit finds

The Baltimore Circuit Court clerk’s office has not fixed “longstanding deficiencies” and failed to refer accounts that owed more than $7 million in outstanding criminal court fees to the state for collections, a new audit has found. The Maryland Office of Legislative Audits released the report on Monday and looked at the period of Sept. 26, 2017 to Oct. 15, 2021. As allowed under state law, the Baltimore Circuit Court clerk’s office is responsible for billing people, mailing them letters about overdue payment and referring delinquent accounts to the Maryland Department of Budget and Management’s Central Collection Unit, according to the audit.