CASSOPOLIS — A “short, sweet and positive report that speaks for itself” was received by the Cass County Board of Commissioners Oct. 21 from Prosecutor Victor Fitz on his Child Support Division during the third quarter.

“What it basically shows,” Fitz said of the period when his special investigator came on board, 99 support orders equaled the first (55) and second (46) quarters combined.

“It’s what we anticipated” when Fitz approached the commission in June, right before Father’s Day, for $8,764 for a change in status to full time for criminal investigator Scott Wellman.

Commissioners approved Wellman, who divided his time between two days in Fitz’s office and the Sheriff’s Office to five days a week with the prosecutor for the three-month balance of the 2010 fiscal year which ended Sept. 30.

By month, Fitz reported 227 child support orders in 2010, including 15 in January, 14 in February, 26 in March, 16 in April, 11 in May, 19 in June, 24 in July, 48 in August, 27 in September and 27 as of Oct. 21.

That’s a pace which projects 296 for the calendar year.

“We’re hovering right around 300 by the end of 2010,” Fitz said. “We may break our all-time record” of 303 set in 2008. “If we continue with the current productivity, we anticipate being up around 396 orders in 2011.”

Annual child support orders include 255 in 2009, 303 in 2008, 171 in 2007, 210 in 2006, 200 in 2005 and 160 in 2004.

The lowest year, 72 in 2003, is attributable to the state changing over to a new computer system.

Before that, the prosecutor’s office reported 146 child support orders in 2002, 145 in 2001, 154 in 2000, 186 in 1999 and 140 in 1998.

From 2004 to 2009, the number of support orders averaged 216; from 1999-2002, 157.

The average annual increase in support orders since 2004 is 27 percent.

The prosecutor’s five-page report also indicates that from July to October, 12 defendants from “cold cases” were located so civil orders could be obtained.

Some of these cases were two to three years old.

The length of time on orders has shortened from the plaintiff’s initial interview to the order being obtained from 60 days to 30 days on 75 percent of cases.

Continued training is anticipated to provide increased productivity in the Child Support Division, Fitz said.

By increasing the number of paternity establishment cases by 50 per year, the potential annual taxpayer reimbursement “is easily over” $100,000.

Fitz requested a fulltime position in 2011 budgeting.

The previous two days per week were paid through the prosecutor’s general fund budget.

The additional three days per week and applicable benefits were covered through the child support grant.

Under the child support grant, the county pays a third of costs. The state absorbs reimbursement for the remaining 66 percent of costs, so the estimated additional salary cost to the county was $2,246.40, plus benefits.

Not to be overlooked is the critical aspect of more children having knowledge of who their father is, Fitz said, and, consequently, having their dad enter their lives.

Studies consistently show that when both parents are part of a child’s life, the likelihood of that child thriving and succeeding greatly increases.

“Last year in this country,” Fitz noted, “41 percent of the kids were born into non-marital situations. Those numbers are increasing.”

“In the lives of children, this translates into over 50 children per year in Cass County having a greater parental presence in their lives, both financially and emotionally,” says Fitz, who succeeded Scott Teter in 2003.

Each custodial parent can anticipate the easing of their financial burden and a more stable household when the other party to the creation of their child is recognized and assumes their share of the financial and emotional responsibilities of raising a child, Fitz said.

“By a conservative estimate,” each paternity establishment results in an annual reimbursement of $2,400 to taxpayers.