In a recent letter, Laurel Lundgreen said it's unfair for the Office of Recovery Services to collect child support from her and her husband the entire month even though their son was incarcerated in Millcreek Youth Center for only a few days that month.
ORS does collect monthly child support from the parents of children in state custody. The money reimburses the state and taxpayers for only some of the costs while the child is in custody. The cost of just one DAY at a facility like Millcreek costs anywhere from $88 to $150, whereas the average MONTHLY child support amount parents are ordered to pay is about $150 (higher or lower, depending on parents' income).So, clearly the child support is not a "user fee" - actual cost for care could exceed $450 for four days.
Taxpayers should be concerned about the child-support issue. There are more than 100,000 cases in the ORS child-support caseload, with over $182 million owing to the state of Utah to reimburse for public assistance or state care. We the taxpayers bear this burden.
Joyce Allred
ORS public relations coordinator
Salt Lake City