MOUNT VERNON — Knox County has surpassed Ohio’s statewide goal in child support collection, achieving a 76.62 percent collection rate.
The state’s goal is 70 percent.
In 2018, the Knox County Job & Family Services Child Support division collected 70.8 percent of child support due.
“As a whole in Ohio, we’ve hit our goal of 70 percent, but we’ve also focused on Knox County,” Dareth Williams, child support administrator, told the county commissioners last week.
“We keep trying to do better and better every year, so I’m very excited and happy that we keep going up higher in percentages.”
Williams credits the Seek Work partnership with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office as a key factor in the collection success.
“We want to try and assist people with knowing that there are opportunities to work, especially with our deputies trying to help us engage the clients with work,” she said.
She said Opportunity Knox is another great resource in helping individuals find employment and training.
The division has a 97 percent rate for establishing paternity and a 94 percent rate for establishing support orders.
Arrearage collections, collections when there is no longer a current support order, average around 70 percent.
The agency has 3,140 open child support cases and 467 active Seek Work cases.
“As of July 31, we have collected $4,303,965.67 for children in Knox County to help them financially,” Williams said.
“From January to July for the Seek Work program participants, we’ve collected $529,699.62.”
Williams said barriers to paying child support vary, but include difficulty finding a job due to an individual’s record.
If an individual refuses to pay support, it is up to the courts to determine the penalty.
State approves animal care fund for dog shelter
Dog Warden Brian Biggerstaff said the Pooch Plunge at Hiawatha Pool was a success, raising $450 for the dog shelter.
The state approved the county’s request to create an animal care fund. It will only pay expenses related to direct animal care, such as food or medical care.
“There will be no administrative costs, no equipment or that kind of stuff,” County Administrator Jason Booth said.
“We hope that in the future there will be more donations since … the animal care fund will be only for direct impact touching the animals.”
The $450 raised from the Pooch Plunge will go into the Direct Animal Care Fund. Anyone wishing to donate can make checks payable to the Knox County Treasurer. Write direct animal care fund on the memo line.
You can also make a donation on the shelter’s website.
Forty-seven dogs entered the shelter in July; 39 left. As of Aug. 21, there are 29 dogs at the shelter. Twenty-six are available for adoption.
Of the 29 dogs at the shelter, nine are owner surrenders, 19 are strays, and one was seized from its owner due to animal neglect.
Eight dogs have been at the shelter for over 60 days.
EMA continues public awareness activities
Knox County Emergency Management Agency participated in several community events in July, including the Knox County Fair and National Night Out.
Presentations included discussing Knox County’s school reunification plan, “Doing a Lot with a Little,” at the spring meeting of the Emergency Managers Association of Ohio.
“We know what our safety forces and things look like in little Knox County compared to Franklin County,” EMA Director James T. DeChant said. “It’s amazing what a big project we took on, and we’re able to do it with the small amount of resources we have ere.”
Other activities include the Danville Amish Health and Safety event, a discussion with Mount Vernon Nazarene University students, and a tabletop exercise at the county fairgrounds.
Below is EMA’s full July report.
