Child support may go private / Wayne County to open $28-million program to bids
Source: BY JACK KRESNAK, Detroit FREE PRESS (MI), September 7, 2007
Wayne County's chief circuit judge today will announce a plan to privatize most of the county's Friend of the Court system, which handles more than 20% of Michigan's child-support payments and has been criticized as inefficient, overburdened and mistake-prone.
Chief Judge Mary Beth Kelly said the company that wins the bid to run the $28-million-a-year operation would be required to hire the 169 Friend of the Court employees affected by the change as well as to increase staffing by 33% in the first year.
....... The plan is certain to face stiff opposition from Council 25 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which represents the 169 Friend of the Court workers. AFSCME's contract with the county expired Sept. 1.