The steady erosion of Racine County's Office of Child Support Enforcement will continue in 2008, according to the budget written by County Executive Bill McReynolds and passed by the County Board.
The Child Support Enforcement office is in charge of locating parents who are required to pay child support and making sure they pay their court-ordered amounts. It seems Racine County is good at locating parents who owe child support, but not so good at making sure they pay.
According to the 2008 budget, county residents pay their child support 65 percent of the time, below the state average of 71 percent and the state goal of 80 percent. Racine County also struggles with past-due amounts, collecting on 56 percent of late child support payments; the state goal is 80 percent.
The county is above the state average in getting court orders for child support and establishing who the parents are - it's just below average in actually having parents pay.
Part of the problem may come from the department's steady decline. In 2003, 47 employees worked for the Office of Child Support Enforcement. In 2008, the number will drop to 29.3 full-time equivalents, including the elimination of the office's director and two child support attorneys.
The budget creates a legal director and shifts around some other jobs, but results in a net loss of three positions over this year.
The number of attorneys in the office has dropped from five in 2006 to two next year.
Imagine if we eliminated Child Support, and mandated that each parent be required to spend half of their time with their children.
ReplyDeleteI realize that there would be sometimes where it's not possible, but if 95% of the time the parents were required to share time rather than use 1 parent as an ATM, and use the County as the "Enforcer". We'd need even less employees in this Dept. and more children would have both access to both parents. It would even reduce the incentive to divorce!! It would also encourage marriage amoung the prematurely pregnant. :>)