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CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES - Director Tonya Moore
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Requested Action(s)
recommendation
a) AGREEMENT - Request approval and authorization for the Director to sign the Shared Services Agreement with El Dorado Department of Child Support Services for attorney services in the amount of $6,250 monthly, effective 8/1/24 and terminating 6/30/25 with automatic renewal on 7/1/25 through 6/30/26 if both parties agree
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Financial Impact:
The Plan of Cooperation includes Tehama DCSS paying El Dorado DCSS $6250/month ($75,000/year) for legal services. Previously budgeted for the Attorney IV position (recently vacated) was $157,345, which includes benefits. The cost savings for utilizing this agreement will be $82,345.
The Attorney Services Plan of Cooperation (POC) is a strategy that provides financial relief for the Tehama DCSS Budget. Already identified at the 2024-25 proposed budget for Tehama DCSS were significant increases in A-87 expenses, worker’s comp rates, unfunded PERS, and utilities. Further impacts to the Tehama DCSS budget came to fruition in June 2024. Tehama DCSS’s 2024-25 allocation was reduced by $36,000 by CA DCSS, and a 2.5% (2024) and 3% (2025) raise was approved in Tehama County. The cost savings from the Attorney Services POC balances the department’s 2024-25 budget and will help lessen the budget gap anticipated in 2025-26.
Background Information:
The intent of the Plan of Cooperation with El Dorado DCSS for attorney services is to ensure Tehama DCSS is able to fulfill responsibilities to manage child support cases for Tehama County. The department facilitates child support order development, and establishing and modifying orders which requires the department to have a child support attorney who performs and oversees the legal functions of the department such as reviewing and signing legal documents, meeting with Attorneys, presenting cases in court, etc., all while following state and local policies and the Family Code.
When the Tehama DCSS Attorney position became vacant in May 2024, our Attorney of Record Plan of Cooperation with Sierra-Nevada DCSS was enacted and the Sierra-Nevada DCSS Attorney began serving as our Attorney of Record. An attorney coverage plan for weekly court and document signing was put in place through July 31, 2024. Historically, with only one attorney at the department, when our attorney was on a long -term absence, and when the position has been vacant, legal work has been covered via a rotation schedule with multiple Local Child Support Agency attorneys from multiple counties.
The department’s caseload decline, budget reductions, and disruption to our operations each time our sole attorney resigns, highlighted the need for Tehama DCSS to look at a business model that is used by other Local Child Support Agencies: contracting with a singular county child support agency with multiple attorneys to implement our legal services.
The Tehama DCSS Director evaluated each function of the attorney position and assessed that some attorney duties may be shifted or eliminated. Additionally, using an outside attorney eliminates the time accounting for trainings, meetings, workgroups, vacation time out of office, etc. It is estimated that core child support attorney responsibilities can be performed in less than 20 hours per week.
Automation makes the collaboration referenced in this POC possible. CA DCSS has an online statewide case management system which allows staff to look up cases and serve customers from other counties. Tehama DCSS e-files documents with the court, uses DocuSign, uses TEAMS for meetings, and the Tehama County Superior Court allows attorneys to appear virtually for court appearances.
The Plan of Cooperation is supported by the Tehama County Superior Court and the IV-D Child Support Commissioner, Ruby Neumann. The Tehama DCSS Director and El Dorado DCSS Director/Chief Attorney met with the Tehama County Superior Court on June 20 to confirm their support of the virtual representation. The IV-D Commissioner presides in two other counties with Child Support Attorneys who appear virtually for the IV-D calendar. Private attorneys are also able to appear virtually on the IV-D calendar. Tehama DCSS has been appearing virtually for court appearances for the past few years, intermittently, and it has gone smoothly.