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Geauga collects recognition for child support
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - September 11, 2008)
Geauga collects recognition for child support
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Geauga County's child-support-enforcement division has been recognized for ranking first in its division in Ohio for percentage of child support collected in 2007.
Officials with the division of Geauga County Job and Family Services notified Geauga County Commissioners of the recognition.
Geauga's collection rate of 80.76 percent was the highest in the medium-small-caseload division. It was only one of two counties to collect more than 80 percent of current support. The category of medium-small caseload, between 2,001 and 4,000 cases, includes one-third of Ohio counties. Geauga County has 3,200 active cases.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Geauga County has won the award and marked the first time the collection rate was the highest in the entire state. Historically, the county has achieved the second highest collection rate in the state.
"Our child-support-enforcement division continues to excel," said G. Timothy Taylor, executive director for job and family services. "Geauga County is one of the top performers year after year. The unique quality that sets our staff apart is that, even with their success, they take very seriously the challenge of collecting every support dollar. They provide great service to the families of our county."
Mr. Taylor said the benefit the enforcement division performs for taxpayers is evident in its cost-effectiveness. Geauga scored the fifth highest rate for cost-effectiveness at $14.69 in 2007. Cost-effectiveness measures the amount of child support collected for every dollar expended, he said.
The average county cost-effectiveness rating among Ohio's 88 counties was $9.33, Mr. Taylor said. "While maintaining high cost-effectiveness, the Geauga County child-support-enforcement division collected over $16 million in total support.
Mr. Taylor said child support is a cooperative effort among the division, the Geauga County Prosecutor's Office and the Geauga County Sheriff's Department.
"The majority of parents from our community do provide both financial and medical support for their children, but, for the parents who don't, Geauga County child-support-enforcement division works hard to enforce child-support orders," Mr. Taylor said.
Paul Reiman, assistant director of the program, said the collection rate is based on the amount of money owed compared with the actual collections.
Part of the Geauga's success can be attributed to the county being one of the more affluent ones, enabling those with means to more easily make payments, he said.
But, Mr. Reiman said, for those who may fall on hard times through job losses or other financial setbacks, the county is willing to help them through modification of payments.
Unfortunately, he said, the greatest work is needed for those who job skip or try to avoid paying. "We spend 80 percent of our time on 20 percent of the cases," he said.
In those cases, Mr. Reiman said, a variety of actions may be taken to gain cooperation in making payments, such as liens, suspending driver's or professional licenses, freezing or seizing bank accounts or referring the matter to the prosecutor's office for legal proceedings.
Those actions are reserved when a person owing falls in arrears, at least one month behind in payments. Those persons are then sent a notice of default and enforcement action.
Mr. Reiman said the division also must deal with people who had divorces finalized in Geauga County but have moved to other parts of the state or out of state. The division also has been called on to help in cases where a resident from out of state has moved into Geauga County, he said. "We may help California with a person owing money."
Mr. Reiman said the whole process hinges on the cooperation of many agencies. "We couldn't do it without the prosecutor's office, the sheriff's department and the courts," he said. "It is a true team effort."
Mr. Taylor said child support is a crucial part of helping parents provide for the basic needs of their children. The purpose of child support is to provide children with the opportunity for a better life, he said. Some researchers have established a correlation between consistent child support and improved school attendance, higher grade point averages and reduced behavioral problems, he said.
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