NATCHEZ — After years of talking about going after millions of dollars in uncollected fines, Adams County plans to issue this month 26 bench warrants for people who failed to show up in court to explain why they haven’t paid what they owe.

County officials — with the cooperation of the county justice court — have a policy to send notices to those who haven’t paid their fines to show up for a contempt of court hearing to explain why they haven’t paid the money they owe.

Those who are sent notices to attend the contempt hearings are selected from a list of people with overdue or unpaid fines.

After hearings in April, however, when only three of 14 defendants showed up, board of supervisors President Mike Lazarus said he wanted to see people who didn’t show up to court face arrest.

A report from Justice Court Clerk Audrey Minor said this month that after hearings scheduled for May 11, a total of 26 warrants were drafted for people who failed to appear, and that the court collected $2,132 from among those who appeared.

Lazarus said he’s instructed Minor — who is a county employee — to draft the warrants and direct them to the judge.

“When these bench warrants start hitting people, they are going to see we are serious about collecting these fines,” he said.

Justice Court Judge Charlie Vess said Monday a batch of warrants has come across his desk, and he has signed them, though he did not recall how many it was.

“I am there, willing to serve; they have just got to get the things to me,” he said.

Vess said he is happy to help collect the fines owed the court, but he also doesn’t want to get the county into operating what is essentially a debtor’s prison for the indigent.

“I might have to put somebody in jail, but if somebody is poor, we do offer the work-release program,” he said.

“If I can get a partial payment, I will, and I like to try to get everybody to pay something. Jail is the last alternative if you can’t get anything.”

Vess said he already checks to make sure anybody who comes before the justice court doesn’t have any outstanding fines that need to be collected.

Lazarus said the county’s new debt collection agency, MS Court Collections, is working with officials to determine which outstanding fines are and aren’t collectable — for example, from someone who has died.

“They are going to help us purge the system, to help us quit chasing the same money that you are not going to get,” he said.

The county is also planning to pursue civil lawsuits against those with the largest outstanding garbage bills, Lazarus said.