Establishing a call center to aid in the collection of child support payments has a number of advantages for Kansas.

Key among those is the proposal to locate such a center in a rural area.

Legislators are considering a number of possible “incentives” for people to follow through on court-ordered child support, including withholding driver’s licenses. The state already can withhold support payments from tax refunds and lottery winnings.

Kansas has good reason to try to make sure divorced parents are supporting their children. Officials say that thousands of Kansas children are on the state’s welfare rolls because their non-custodial parents do not pay their child support. Figures compiled by Kansas Action for Children, a state advocacy group, show that the amount the state pays in cash assistance to families would drop by 26 percent and food stamp costs by 19 percent if child support payments were made in full.

One obvious barrier to making that happen, however, is the workload such enforcement places on the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS). For instance, SRS Secretary Gary Daniels said that one quarter of his staff’s time is spent answering questions about court dates, payment schedules and address changes related to child support payments.

To help with that workload, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is proposing the formation of a call center that could tie into the state computer system and handle such calls, freeing up other SRS employees for more important work. The plan calls for spending $2 million on a call center that would employ 30 to 35 workers. Daniels also has suggested putting the center in a rural area.

The $2 million price tag may seem large, but it seems likely that money would be quickly offset by financial gains the state realizes from better child support enforcement. Putting the call center in a rural area also is a great idea that should be part of the state’s planning for many other services.

Because information for the call center will come from a single state database, the center could be located anywhere. The addition of 30 to 35 state jobs would be a major economic development boon in many parts of the state.

The spread of broadband technology into many areas of rural Kansas would make it possible to outsource any number of government duties to areas where jobs are scarce. It’s a way for state government to have a direct and immediate impact on some Kansas areas with struggling economies.

Creating a call center to handle child support questions seems like a cost-effective move for the state. Putting that center in a rural area multiplies that benefit by creating jobs where they’re needed most.