GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Brown County is the first in the state to introduce a mobile app and web-based platform designed to make it easier for residents to make child support payments.
Those paying child support no longer have to drive to downtown Green Bay or send payments by mail. Officials point out that Brown County populations continue to expand, and not everyone has an hour to drive to the city to make those payments.
“They either had to convert cash into a money gram and make that at a local retail establishment board they have to convert it into a money order and snail mail it to our receipt and disbursement unit in Madison,” said Brown County Child Support Agency Director Maria Lasecki. “I learned that other states had implemented a mobile app. After I asked about that, they coordinated with the receipt and disbursement unit in Madison. TouchPay quickly collaborated with them and created a mobile app for Brown County.”
Lasecki says the new TouchPay mobile app allows payments to be made in just seconds.
“Our payers are able to actually make their payments online at the touch of their hands. It’s very simple, and it just takes a matter of registering using a personal identification number,” Lasecki said. “You can make a payment 24/7, 365 days a year. It’s needed. Our payers are busy and the convenience aspect changes everything for those we serve.”
The structure of the app is similar to others on the market. It allows people to link bank accounts or credit cards for easy payments – and also accepts PayPal and Venmo.
“It’s just like any other payment apps out there, which will make it familiar to people who are accustomed to using it. That just makes the process that much easier,” Lasecki told WTAQ News. “People don’t have to feel like they have to come down here and don’t have to feel like they have to fall into arrears, and know that the child support agency is working with them to ensure that they can meet their court-ordered obligations. That’s what’s most important…We’re hoping that it increases the remittance factor. We’re seeing that convenience is key.”
You can even scan the QR Code on this poster to find the app:
While Brown County is the only in the state utilizing the system right now, Lasecki hopes it will roll out in other counties to benefit payers across Wisconsin.
She’s also optimistic that the easier option will actually increase the amount of money going to help the children and families that are owed that money.
“Our performance measure at a federal level is 80-percent of collections, and I would love to attain that. But to be really honest with you, I’d love to get to 100 [percent],” Lasecki said.
Brown County also has a kiosk located in the lobby of the child support office that accepts payments with a small convenience fee.
The move toward technologically savvy ways to conduct business is part of Brown County’s ‘Digital Vision.’ Approved by the County Board of Supervisors in 2019, the mission aims to reimagine services by embracing technology in a way that can improve interaction, efficiency, and processes of local government.
TouchPay is available for download through Google Play, the App Store, and online at: tpchildsupport.com
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