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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > March > 04 > Entry
Children Services struggling to pay bills, foster parents on time
Butler County Children Services is having trouble paying its bills, which is alienating foster parents and forced a brief shutdown of a system used to conduct criminal background checks, according to agency officials.
Children Services Director Michael Fox confirmed that a problem exists Wednesday, March, 4, and said he his working with county commissioners to resolve it.
He said bills are being paid late because mergers, layoffs and new rules left those responsible for paying the bills backlogged.
The result: the system Children Services uses to conduct state-required fingerprinting on potential foster parents or relatives who temporarily house children was shut down Monday, March 2, for nonpayment.
A county employee drove a check for $8,142 to the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation office in London, Ohio Tuesday, March 4, after commissioners approved the payment Monday.
County Administrator Tim Williams said there is no backlog, and no reason foster parents should be getting paid late.
“I will go to work in order to try to improve that for foster parents,” Williams said.
Numerous foster parents are also complaining that their checks show up weeks — sometimes months — late.
“It just seems the whole system is not running the way it needs to be ran,” said Sue Gregory, a foster parent who said she routinely gets her checks late. “But realistically they’ve never been able to get these checks out on time.”
But this is trying for foster parents who aren’t in it for the money, Gregory said, but they’re not loaded with cash either. They just want reimbursement for the clothes, food, toys and other things they purchase for their wards every month.
“With these economic times what they are it’s getting hard on these families,” Gregory said.
Fox said this has been a source of frustration for him, and he wants commissioners to allocate resources to get all the bills caught up before foster parents start to leave.
“Whatever we have to do to make these payments get out on time to our foster parents, we have to do this,” Fox said.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: Children Services
Comments
By Jack
March 4, 2009 9:43 PM | Link to this
I’m beginning to wonder if Tim Williams is up to the job of county administrator. The county is broke, salaries are being cut, people layed off, problems like this coming up all the time. Don’t recall such problems with the last administrator. Maybe the commissioners need to look at their own office staff.
By gail
March 5, 2009 9:34 AM | Link to this
It’s a shame that Mike Fox and his Administors get there huge salaries on time, and yet the foster parents have to wait. Shame on you Mike Fox.
By gail
March 5, 2009 9:36 AM | Link to this
It’s a shame that Mike Fox and his Administors get there huge salaries on time, and yet the foster parents have to wait. Shame on you Mike Fox.
By Where's the Leadership?
March 5, 2009 10:04 AM | Link to this
It’s ridiculous to allow Fox to appear blameless here. Where’s his leadership on staying ahead of this problem. As a former, long-term commissioner, he knows the inter-workings of this county better than anyone else. Yet, he points fingers instead. Pathetic.
By Mickey
March 5, 2009 10:38 AM | Link to this
I doubt it’s really Mike Fox’s fault. Getting bills approved and checks cut are the responsibility of the county auditor and the county treasurer. But before any of this people can move to get bills paid the county administrator and commissioners must apporove the bills and they are to busy firing, hiring, cutting pay and giving raises to take care of the real business of the county. I lay the blame at the feet of the chairman of the county commission chiarman, DONNIE DIXON.
By On the Inside
March 5, 2009 12:31 PM | Link to this
For once, this really isn’t Mike’s fault. The Auditor’s office has been a mess for months. Worker’s haven’t been getting their mileage checks… for several months. It’s not just the Foster Parents, it’s everyone, and Mike is fighting tooth and nail to try to get everyone paid on time. The Commissioners’ and the Auditor have made getting checks processed an absolute, ridiculous mess.
By In the middle
March 5, 2009 1:47 PM | Link to this
I work in a county department and support the previous couple of post. Nothing is moving in county government, the commissioners must approve all bills and if it isn’t from the board of elections or the commissioners office it’s no longer important. God help Tim Williams, the man is clueless. All Williams does is run around following the demands of Don Dixon.
By Where's the Leadership?
March 5, 2009 3:01 PM | Link to this
Then Fox should have done what he appears to do best…use the media to get this out in the public sooner. Sorry, you all raise valid points, but he’s never shied away from using the media to get whatever attention he seeks.
By Where's the Media Leadership
March 5, 2009 3:05 PM | Link to this
…and shouldn’t the story headlines reflect that its a work-flow issue and not cash flow. Sort of a misleading and inappropriate headline, especially in economic times like these.
By Jim Dorsey
March 5, 2009 3:09 PM | Link to this
Mr. Fox cannot pay his home mortgage on time. Why would you expect him to pay foster parents on time? On January 14, 2009, Mr. Fox admitted in an interview on WLW radio that “I’ve got to be one of the world’s worst people managing money. I’ve got to be one of the world’s worst business persons.” And this is the man that Commissioners Furmon and Jolivette put in charge of a 30 million dollar Childrens Services budget?
By Bob
March 5, 2009 8:29 PM | Link to this
Jim you left out Commissioner Dixon in your post. Dixon was all in for the Fox to Childrens Services deal that put him on the county commission in Fox’s seat.
By All about them
March 5, 2009 9:41 PM | Link to this
This is absolutely the county commissionersfault. And yes, it has affected everyone that is owed money. From workers reimbursement and mileage to foster parent reimbursment to contractors payments and vendors bills. BCCS was critizied for not paying debts timely and jfs was said to never do that kind of stuff and now jfs has the job and things have only gotten worse! Mr. Williams has said there is no problem, if that is so why all the complaints. Paid people are happy people!
By Jerry
March 6, 2009 11:31 AM | Link to this
I answer phones for a county agency and I know that vendors are calling everyday because they are not being paid. I also no that some vendor are refusing to continue doing business with the county. Mr. Williams there is a problem, if you don’t see you need to find another job.