Heros of Racine

Dear City of Racine Alderpersons, 
 
A voice of sanity, logic and rational thinking suddenly bursts upon 
City of Racine, Courtesy of Mr. Van Carson:

 From the JT: 
 
https://journaltimes.com/news/local/end-of-collecting-child-support-birth-costs-proposed-in-evers/article_31cbb507-f359-57da-82df-3d8f16307329.html#tracking-source=home-top-story 
 
RACINE — "Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed budget, if adopted in its current 
form, could change how much parents have to pay in child support by 
potentially eliminating the birth costs that some fathers pay. 
 
Eliminating the cost would leave a budget hole, but could help 
decrease the state’s black infant mortality rate by eliminating a 
barrier to prenatal care. 
 
Currently, when a woman gets pregnant many times medical expenses will 
be covered through the state’s Medicaid program. 
 
If child support is needed from the father, as part of the father’s 
payments he will need to repay those birth costs, although there was a 
provision recently enacted that stopped the practice of recovering 
birth costs if the mother and father live together and are both 
supporting the child. 
 
The amount typically charged for birth costs in Racine County is 
$1,600, according to Jeff Leggett, Racine County’s director of child 
support services. 
 
In 2018, Racine County’s Child Support Office collected a total of 
$711,127 in birth costs, with 85 percent going to reimburse the 
Medicaid program, $604,458, and 15 percent staying with the county, 
$106,669, according to Leggett. 
 
Leggett said if the collection of birth costs was eliminated, 
officials would have to figure out how to fill that budget hole in 
another way. 
 
Evers’ proposed state budget includes some additional budgeted funds 
for child support agencies — $750,000 for fiscal year 2020 and $1.5 
million for fiscal year 2021. However, the state budget does not 
include an estimate on how much revenue the state would lose not 
collecting the Medicaid birth costs. 
 
Van Carson, who works for Racine Focus on Fathers, a fathers program 
ran through the George Bray Neighborhood YMCA, said, even though child 
support can be expensive and the birth costs add to that, he doesn’t 
think the birth cost collection should be eliminated. 
 
“It’s expensive to be a human. It’s expensive. It comes with cost,” Carson said. 
 
He said those people who have children need to understand that “recess 
is over,” and need to take responsibility and get a job". 
 
As it should be. 
 
And those jobs shouldn't be taxpayer funded "make work"  as in City of 
Racine Mayor Cory Mason's expansion of the Mayor's Office from 3 to 
five at a cost of $300,000! 
 
See:https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2019/03/16/great-mothers-of-mayor-cory-masons-ratcine-1-in-a-series/ 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Tim & Cindy

Also see: https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2019/03/17/heros-of-racine/