ESCANABA - As Delta County struggles to maintain a balanced budget, four county Friend of the Court employees have received pink slips notifying them of an impending lay-off.
The lay-offs in the Friend of the Court office stem from a letter sent by the county board to Delta County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Davis requesting he operate his department within its approved budget.
It fell to Davis to determine which employees would face being laid off.
A letter from the county commissioners was also sent to District Court Judge Glenn Pearson notifying him to operate his department within its approved budget.
A recommendation from the finance committee to send the letters to each of the courts was presented to the county board Feb. 15; the county approved the recommendation to send the letters. A letter was also sent to Delta County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Parks with the same information - to operate his department within the approved allocation.
The courts received their budget allocation on Oct. 1, the start of the present fiscal year, from the county. Each court has autonomy on how its funds are expended in each fiscal year.
Stacey Morgan, who worked with the Friend of the Court office for the past eight years, addressed commissioners Tuesday, saying laying off four employees would be devastating to the county's Child Support Collections office.
"We have suffered a four-person lay-off, which includes our mediator, two of five enforcement clerks, and our medical/motions person," said Morgan.
She said of the 11 employees working in the Friend of the Court, 10 of the positions are 66 percent federally funded through the Title lV Cooperative Reimbursement Program.
Morgan said the Friend of the Court office provides an essential service to thousands of children in Delta County through collection of child support. Based on the Michigan 2010 Performance Incentives, Delta County ranked 11th out of 83 counties having collected close to $6 million in child support.
"The Daily Press featured an article on Feb. 9 detailing an increase in child poverty levels, giving a figure of 17.1 percent of Delta County youth. While the statistics are from 2008, what effect will your decision regarding the budget cause?" asked Morgan.
Morgan said while she understands the budget is comprised of line items, with money earmarked for various purchases, laying off county employees while PA systems are being installed and the county has approved the purchase of iPads for commissioners, it is very difficult to understand.
"When it's your livelihood on the line, and it comes down to the flip of a coin to determine who is being laid off, it's very hard to understand," said Morgan.
During a Feb. 1 meeting, county commissioners accepted and approved a recommendation to purchase iPads.
Commissioner Dave Moyle explained during the meeting, the county could save money by purchasing iPads due to a reduction in the amount of paper used to print copies of the board agenda and informational packet, in addition to saving labor costs associated with making the necessary copies.
Commissioner Ryan Holm said during the same meeting use of iPads would also be more effective for commissioners to remain in contact with the county administrator, as well as track meeting schedules by using the calendar program on the devices.
During a Feb. 15 meeting of the county board, the commissioners approved the purchase of a PA system for the circuit courtroom's new court recording equipment at a cost of $4,500. The funds for the purchase came from the county's capital outlay fund. The PA system was a separate option that could be purchased by the county.