The Gloucester Treasurer’s Office has brought in outside help to collect delinquent personal property taxes—and it’s not costing county residents any money.

In September, the county began using the professional collection expertise of Taxing Authority Consulting Services, a Richmond-based company. Treasurer Tara Thomas said that TACS receives 20 percent on top of the amount of the delinquent accounts collected, so there are no charges passed on to the public, other than the delinquent taxpayer.

For many years, Gloucester has contracted with York County attorney Jim Elliott to collect real estate delinquent taxes, Thomas said. But the Treasurer’s Office tries multiple times to collect delinquent personal and real estate taxes before the accounts are sent other outlets.

There are generally more defaults on personal property accounts than on real estate, Thomas said.

Of the 2013 first real estate tax installment of $13,737,146.11, Thomas said that 3.55 pe...