Tribune Staff Report

ST. JOSEPH -- The threat of losing millions of federal dollars has the state of Michigan pushing a child support computer system that won't do the job in busy counties such as Berrien County.

Berrien County was planning to convert to a new Child Support Enforcement System (CSES) in 2002, after bugs in the system were to be worked out, Berrien County Trial Court Administrator Sandy Belter said Thursday. But the conversion looks to be coming sooner.

Belter and Trial Court Chief Judge Paul Maloney spoke about the conversion at a meeting of the Administrative Committee of the County Board of Commissioners.

The computer system is intended to keep track of parents who are delinquent in their child support payments.

Even though the system has not been perfected, counties will have to change, according to a letter from the state Family Independence Agency that Belter received last week. Berrien County will change again when the improved system becomes available, Belter said.

The federal government has been pushing the states to convert to statewide systems or face penalties.

CSES, which is partially operational and has been in development for years, has cost taxpayers more than $215 million since 1984, the Lansing State Journal reported last week. That's in addition to $29.7 million in federal penalties the state has paid for not getting the system completed on time.

The county will receive state funding to help pay for the system.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/thisday/local.20001230-sbt-MICH-A4-Berrien_pushed_to_us.sto

-- Doris (nocents@bellsouth.net), December 30, 2000