Juvenile Court Judge Ron Craft is asking for four new staffers to help deal with the onslaught of Child Support Enforcement Agency cases. Deadbeat parents in a divorce situation are handled by the Domestic Relations Court and single parents are dealt with in the Juvenile Court.
“Historically , the CSEA cases involved divorcing parents, with their cases being heard by the Domestic Relations Court,” the courts memorandum the commissioners reads. “However as society changed, so has the CSEA caseload. Now almost 90 percent of CSEA cases are heard in the Juvenile Court.”
The court submitted a $1.9 million line item for salaries that is $134,043 higher than this year. The four clerks’ salaries and benefits will cost $183,728 but the county will be reimbursed 66 percent for each employee through a grant, so the net expense to the general fund will be $62,468.
“CSEA has hired more people they are filing more motions, documents with the court. We have talked to the director about this, he can’t keep pace with the filings this has necessitated overtime on Saturdays, just about every Saturday,” Craft said. “Our people are getting burned out and the filings keep coming, so that’s a pretty good chunk of the increase in our budget.”
CSEA Executive Director Ray Pater — his agency has been number one in child support collections for large counties in the state for more than a dozen years — also wants to put "help wanted" sign out for an additional staff attorney. The time spent in court by the two attorneys there now increased by 2,290 hearings in 2015 to 15,155 and as of June they made 14,326 court appearances.
Pater told the commissioners he realizes he might not get a new attorney.
“That office is a flurry of activity every day,” he said. “Regardless, this is about a $50,000-plus position and our ending cash balance is still $2.3 million, so we have plenty to get us through, so I know we’re still in a very tight financial position, I get that. And I know we want to reduce the debt here in Butler County but this is non-general fund and we can afford it and this is very much wanted.”
Prosecutor Mike Gmoser, who walked into his hearing pushing a red handcart filled almost to the top with papers saying it was his budget, also says he needs another assistant prosecutor to help with crimes against children cases. Jennifer McElfresh and Greg Stephens — both of whom are now judges on the Common Pleas Court — for a long time handled child abuse cases, now Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Heile handles them on her own.
“When we hit the big budget downturn in 2008 and 2009 it prompted a reduction in that area as well as a number of others,” Assistant Prosecutor Dan Ferguson told the commissioners. “Jennifer did soldier on by herself and there were times when the prosecutor had to ask her ‘are you okay’. And she did, she is a real trooper… It is a position that a person by themselves can do for only so long. We have asked for additional funding for that next year.”
Probate Judge Randy Rogers is looking for a bailiff and two additional clerks, to handle a mandate by the Ohio Supreme Court regarding guardianships. The high court has mandated much closer contact, communication and training between the court and the estimated 1,000 guardians in the county. Face-to-face contact with each guardian and their wards is required as well as hours of training and a host of other requirements.
“I’ve been reading in the paper you guys have some mandates that have come down, well I do to,” he said. “And I don’t have a choice. If I do my job I have to do all these things. I don’t believe that I can do the job without adding to the staff so it’s a question of adding to the staff or don’t do the job.”
The county has learned it stands to lose $3.1 million in sales tax collections next July, unless the state can negotiate a solution with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. That federal agency has ruled Ohio has unlawfully collected sales taxes on Medicaid managed care organizations, according to Butler County Finance Director Tawana Keels.
The commissioners have 15 more hearings on Monday.
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