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Show Recoeiriinig Alainnioiniy Big Business In Utah By GARY R. BLODGETT FARMINGTON Recovering Recov-ering unpaid alimony is big business in Utah and Davis County has its share of problems, prob-lems, according to a report from Afton Anderson, director of the northern division office of State Recovery Service, Bureau of Child Support. HE TOLD the Davis County Commission that more time needs to be spent in the county for collection of unpaid alimony ali-mony and child support by per- sons on welfare. Attorney Don Redd has been aiding the Bureau of Child Support in this endeavor on a part-time basis, averaging about 60 hours per month for the last six months. MR. ANDERSON, however, howev-er, told the commission that more time is needed to be spent on unpaid alimonies if the program is to be successful. success-ful. He asked the commission to let the bureau hire Attorney Redd and pay the county direct for his services. "It would essentially be the same program as in the past, but hopefully would be a little more efficient," said Mr. Anderson. "The more hours he (Redd) can spend in this job the more monies that will be collected, part of which will be reimbursed to the county." MR. ANDERSON explained that the county is able to retain 15 percent of the money collected col-lected that would be reimbursed reim-bursed to the federal government. govern-ment. "This would be money the county could use as it wishes with no strings attached," he said. "This would be clear profit pro-fit since 75 percent of the child support enforcement is paid by the federal government and the state pays the remaining 25 percent." THE STATE Recovery Service Ser-vice has an agreement with the county commission not the County Attorney's Office to do this work when needed. Mr. Anderson said. "It would simply be easier if we could work directly ;' through the commission and ' pay the county direct for Attorney Redd's services," he' J said. ONLY 20 percent, or less, of husbands on welfare pay alimony ali-mony and child support regularly. regu-larly. Mr. Anderson noted. "The remainder," he said, "we have to seek the husbands and by different means obtain the money." DIVORCED WOMEN on welfare are usually paid alimony ali-mony direct from the state and it's the responsibility of the State Recovery Service to collect col-lect as much alimony due as possible, it was explained. Between July I. 1979 and Dec. 31. 1979 there was about $207,000 collected in Davis County, said Mr. Anderson. COMM. ERNEST Eberhard asked that a written proposal be prepared and presented to the commission for review at the commission's next regularly regular-ly scheduled meeting on Feb. 16. Mr. Anderson said the bureau now pays $16 per hour for the part-time service of Attorney Redd. "HE HAS been doing a fantastic fan-tastic job." said Mr. Anderson. Ander-son. "Of the $207,000 collected col-lected during the last six months of 1979. about $45,000 a record high for a single month was collected in September Sep-tember and $42,000 in October. Octo-ber. We just hope we can keep up this relationship and high standard of performance with this revised program." County Attorney Rodney Page said he is in favor of giving giv-ing all the support necessary to this program, but noted that to change the procedure now could create some problems. "FOR ONE thing." said Attorney Page, "the county would have to open its budget to allow the additional expenses ex-penses of a new part-time or full-time attorney, and I'd rather not do that unless we have to." Meanwhile, the attorney noted, the county will wait for the offer from the Recovery Bureau and then decide what action to take. |