By VANESSA DIETZ

vdietz@mininggazette.com

ONTONAGON – Ontonagon County Probate court will get less money upfront to retire a debt that might not otherwise be paid in full.

The Ontonagon County Board decided Tuesday to recommend Ontonagon Probate Court Judge Janis Burgess accept a $3,000 lump sum payment from an anonymous man to retire a $7,919 debt to the court, because of special circumstances described in a letter from Juvenile Officer Paula Domitrovich.

“I received a request from a parent who was ordered to pay $26,629 in 2001 for reimbursement for out of home care costs for his child,” Domitrovich wrote in the April 5 letter to the board. “As of April 5, 2017, he has paid $18,700 and owes $7,919. It would take a minimum of six years to pay what he owes at his currently monthly payment. He has $3,000 in savings that could be used to pay a lump sum…”

Noting the man faithfully remitted payments for so many years, she said he would like to reduce his debt due to “significant health issues,” imminent retirement and foreseeable future financial constraints.

“He has offered to pay a lump sum to the county, which would be less than the total amount he owes but the county would have the money immediately,” Domitrovich said.

She also conferred with court staff in other counties about how they handle similar cases.

“I spoke to the Gogebic County juvenile officer regarding their policy for out of home placement costs,” she said. “They often accept lump sum payments for a reduced amount rather than a parent making monthly payments.”

Then, there’s the unavoidable fact that man’s health is declining, which could lead to an outstanding debt if he dies before making the final payment.

“We have a few cases where the parent who owes money for out of home care has passed away,” Domitrovich said. “In these cases, a lump sum payment would have been advantageous to the county.”

Learning a neighboring county has cut its losses in similar cases, and appreciating the man’s new circumstances and his cooperation and consistency over so many years, the board voted unanimously to accept $3,000 up front to retire his debt.