But just try to get them on the phone.

In Anoka and Ramsey counties, you might get a phone recording at the child-support divisions saying they no longer accept calls from 8 to 10 a.m. Or closed doors from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fridays at the Rice County District Court administration offices. Or, as was the case recently when the Pioneer Press tried calling a Hennepin County child-support information line, 19 minutes on hold — accompanied by bad Muzak — before a human picked up.

Faced with funding cuts from various levels of federal, state and county governments, cash-strapped agencies with fewer workers and higher caseloads have begun resorting to cutbacks on customer service to give workers time to work.

The so-called "quiet times" are hardly nap times for bureaucrats, officials say; they're necessary for case workers and clerks whose jobs are both heavy on paperwork and heavy on explaining the paperwork to regular folks trying to navigate the system.

"We're all looking for a gimmick to give our workers some relief because we just don't have enough of them," said a chuckling Mark Thompson, court administrator for Hennepin County District Court, which in January instituted "counter close time" from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays.

But he knows it's no joke when someone takes time off work to, say, look up his or her divorce file at a public office and is met with a closed door.

"People were angry at first, but

States fund the courts, and a $13 million less-than-requested allotment in the current budget cycle has hit court offices across Minnesota. Thompson, for example said his staff is at 92 percent.

Bob Langer, court administrator for Rice and Steele counties, said his staff is shrinking, too, while case filings are not, so he instituted a similar closed-time program last month.

"It seems to be working because we do get a lot of work done," he said. "But you do get voice mails and e-mails coming in and piling up, and we have to start returning the calls when we get back from lunch."

The situation seems especially tough in the realm of child support, which is largely administered at the county level and funded by a combination of federal, state and county money, all of which is either shrinking or at risk of shrinking in the coming fiscal cycles, numerous officials said.

Dakota and Washington counties' child-support divisions have avoided introducing any sort of "quiet hours," but a woman who answered the phone at Washington County's child-support offices warned: "Sometimes the workers just don't have enough hours in the day to answer all the calls. They'll get like 10 messages during one call. They'll try to get back to you in 24 hours."

Child-support work is known for its frustrating combination of court judgments and labor- and tax-related wage garnishment, all in the emotionally charged atmosphere of a child at risk of falling financial victim to the battles of divorced parents.

Such calls take time, said Edna Hoium, income maintenance director for Anoka County, a post that oversees child support. "It's people who have issues with their child support. It's clarifications, it's concerns, questions. It's all part of the job," she said.

Anoka County instituted an "uninterrupted work time" policy at the beginning of the year. Barb Jorgenson, who heads the program, said a recent survey showed "overwhelming" support for it among the 55 or so child-support officers and specialists, each of whom carries a caseload of 430 to 500 at any one time.

Callers stymied by the 8 to 10 a.m. recorded message can press zero and reach one "on-duty" caseworker. If someone walks in without an appointment, the goal is to have a worker face-to-face with the walk-in within 10 minutes, she said.

In the lobby of the Ramsey County child-support offices, a sign warns walk-ins that the wait could be as long as a half-hour. Such people are handed pagers, like in a busy family restaurant on a Friday night, and told they'll be buzzed when someone is available. Better to call ahead, the sign suggests.

But don't try calling between 8 and 10 a.m.: That's Ramsey's no-call period as well.

"It has helped," Linda Derks, assistant director of child support said. "People have been able to feel like they're getting on top of things. ... We also instituted a rule that you have to return your calls by the end of the second business day. We have lots of little rules around here."

Hennepin County child support has declined to implement such a system, officially, at least. After a reporter got through after a 19-minute wait, he asked if such a hold time was the only option for the public.

"Absolutely," she responded. "Now what did you want?"

CLOSED (TEMPORARILY) TO THE PUBLIC

Tight financial times have forced numerous government offices to institute so-called "quiet times," when workers close the doors to the public and route phone calls directly to voice mail. Here are a few examples: