Board approves first amendment to county child support staffing contract with state

The Webster County Board of Supervisors approved the First Amendment to the child support staffing contract between the county and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Child Support Services, and authorized the chair to sign the amendment.

Alyssa Sparks, supervisor with the Fort Dodge child support office, explained the staffing arrangement and fiscal terms to the board. She said the county’s staffing contract with the state has been in place since the creation of the state child-support office and that the state reimburses county personnel and associated fringe at 100% under the agreement.

Sparks told the board the Fort Dodge office collected about $11.5 million in current child support and nearly $2,700,000 in arrears in state fiscal year 2024, figures she presented to illustrate the office’s workload and collections performance. She said the fiscal year 2026 budget before the board includes salary and fringe costs for county staff who work with the state office and that indirect administrative costs are also reimbursed.

Board members asked what specifically changed in the amendment; Sparks said last year the state clarified reimbursement for vacation and sick payouts and that the present amendment includes updates to how certain computer and Social Security information is exchanged. She offered to follow up with the state contracts team for more detailed contractual language if supervisors had technical questions.

The board voted to approve and authorize the chair to sign the amendment; the vote was recorded by voice and the motion carried.