AREA COUNTIES EYE JOINT EFFORT IN CHILD SUPPORT

JACKSON -- If a new child-support enforcement plan is approved by the state legislature by July, Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Perry counties may handle enforcement from a central office.

The Cape Girardeau County Commission approved the plan Thursday and is waiting for answers from the other counties.

Assistant Attorney General Mike Shortridge made a presentation to the commission and prosecuting attorneys from each county. Under the current child-support plan, each county receives 66 percent reimbursement from the state for county employees' salaries and retirement plans.

In addition, each county receives incentives based on how much child support investigators collect.

With the current plan, Cape Girardeau County operates at a $23,000 profit while providing the service to its residents. Shortridge said it could do even better.

The new program would reimburse the three counties for 100 percent of the child-support staff's salaries and provide for a full-time lawyer to work in the department. The state also would pay 66 percent of costs for equipment and expenses.

Counties would pay the 34 percent left, divided up by population, and each county still could receive incentives.

Shortridge said individual counties were free to pull out of the plan if the state decided to change its mind on the reimbursement figures.

Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor Morley Swingle said state still comes out ahead, because the more effective county child support enforcement is, the less money the state pays out in Aid to Dependent Children.

He said the central office would likely be in Cape Girardeau, with staff making regular appointments in Bollinger and Perry counties.

Perry County Prosecuting Attorney Tom Hoeh said a few issues needed to be worked out before his county commission said yes, but all seemed positive about the arrangement.

In other business, the Cape County Commission agreed to create a new position in the juvenile office.

Juvenile Officer Randy Rhodes explained that Patrick Daniels, who supervised juveniles working under the Operation Payback program, would be leaving for St. Louis when his wife, Carol Keeler-Daniels, began her job at KMOX.

Rhodes asked to increase the pay for the position and make the next Operation Payback supervisor a deputy juvenile officer.

"Patrick was an excellent guy who worked really hard," he said. "He had the attention of the kids. I don't know if I'm going to find someone to fill that role, but I'd like to get something out about it."

Starting salary for the new position will be $14,900, and Rhodes said he likely would solicit applicants from Southeast Missouri State University's criminal justice department.