County Attorney To Take Over Area Of Child Support In Wayne County, Surveyor To Remain Elected Position

WAYNE – Parents who seek child support in Wayne county will be getting more local assistance now following discussion Tuesday morning during the regularly scheduled Wayne County Board of Commissioners meeting.

From the Public Safety Annex, the board held their meeting next to the Wayne County Courthouse.

County attorney, Amy Miller brought forth information about child support and that Wayne county currently contracts through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) who brings in an attorney for surrounding counties. If a mother or father would like to meet with an attorney about child support they currently have to travel to Madison.

Commissioners approved for Miller to take over child support in Wayne County and to hire a full-time person to focus only on child support. Miller’s goal is to make a hire around March/April and will work with Deb on salary.

Miller stated it is a state statute that child support is the county attorney’s job unless the county delegates it to another attorney.

Not only will this benefit residents in Wayne county, it’ll also be a financial boost to the general budget as 66% of the expenses (salary/benefit/other costs) get reimbursed from the DHHS to the county.

This would be offered to Wayne county residents if the mother or father has a child and is receiving state services. Examples given were that Thurston county (does in-house) had 900 cases last year and Platte county (in-house) saw 1,700 cases for child support. Wayne only had 272 cases opened a year ago and Miller would anticipate that could grow to 500-600.

Miller mentioned during the meeting that she would give up her civil practice if this was approved and focus only on her county and city attorney positions. She also requested to have a say to where some of the money that is reimbursed back into the county goes.

A public hearing was then held Tuesday morning to receive input on maintaining the position of county surveyor as an elective position. No comments were received or phone calls about the subject as commissioners approved resolution No. 20-02 to continue to provide for the election of a county surveyor by the registered voters in Wayne county. All three commissioners agreed that the public will still have an opinion when it comes to voting.

The next regularly scheduled Wayne County Board of Commissioners meeting will be Tuesday, February 4 at 9 a.m. A public hearing will also be set at 10 a.m. in early February for the one and six-year road plan for 2020 as the board reviewed a draft Tuesday.

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