COLORADO COUNTY — If you have been called to jury duty recently, you might have noticed a major change in how you receive your daily stipend: instead of the traditional paper check, you were likely handed a pre-paid debit card.
While it might seem like a simple tech upgrade, this shift is actually a strategic move by Texas counties to protect local taxpayer dollars and cut down on state-mandated paperwork.
For years, thousands of citizens performed their civic duty, received a small check for their time, and promptly tossed it into a drawer or a glove box, forgetting to ever cash it. Individually, a $10 or $20 check seems insignificant.
Collectively, however, these unpresented checks created a massive financial and reg ulatory headache for county treasurers.
Under Title 6, Chapter 76 of the Texas Property Code, local governments are strictly required to report and send unclaimed property, including uncashed checks, to the state. This intersects with Section 116.116 of the Texas Local Government Code, which outlines the exact lifespan of a county check: The 366-Day Void Window: If a check drawn by a county treasurer or local official is not presented for payment within 365 days, it becomes completely void and nonnegotiable on the 366th day.
Once those funds remain unclaimed and the payee cannot be located, the county cannot simply absorb the money back into its budget. By law, the county must report and deliver those uncashed funds directly to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in Austin.
By switching to pre-paid cards for jurors, counties ensure the funds are immediately distributed and utilized, keeping local money working within the local community rather than being forwarded to the state.
While jurors have successfully transitioned to cards, another vital group of civic participants is still dealing with paper: election workers.
Election workers are funded directly out of local county tax dollars. However, the ex- act same strict financial laws apply to them. If an election worker receives their pay via a paper check and fails to cash it within the year, the county is legally obligated to strip those dollars from the local budget and ship them off to the state Comptroller.
When local tax dollars are forwarded to the state due to uncashed checks, the county permanently loses funding that could otherwise support local roads, emergency services, and community programs.
County officials are urging all current and former election workers to check their files, desks, and mailboxes.
If you have an outstanding county check for working an election, please cash or deposit it immediately. Keeping county tax dollars in the coun- ty benefits every single local resident.
Colorado County Treasurer Joyce Guthmann, manages the public's money, ensuring all local tax revenues are accounted for, safety protocols are met, and disbursements comply with the Texas Local Government and Property Codes.
