WEST CHESTER, Ohio — Services that help more than 4,000 seniors live more independent lives in Butler County are on the line with voters considering Issue 1 on their November ballot.
Issue 1 would renew an existing levy benefiting the Elderly Services Program (ESP) and add an additional levy on property owners for the first time since 2005.
The money goes to help people like the Hillman family.
We spoke with Stacy Hillman, who has been caring for her 82-year-old mother, Elsa Griswold, with ESP assistance for a decade.
WATCH: We sit down with Stacy Hillman and her elderly mother to talk levy impact
"We started out with Meals on Wheels for my mom and my dad," Hillman said.
When her dad passed and the coronavirus pandemic began, Hillman said her mother needed extra help, so she moved her into her home and relied on ESP to help them with safety railings, food delivery through Meals on Wheels and in-home care.
"It's pretty special," Hillman said. "I hear from a lot of people that say, 'Oh, that's great. Your mom lives with you.' It is, I'm very fortunate."
According to The Council on Aging (COA) Southwest Ohio, if the levy fails to pass in the November election, funding for the program will halt at the end of the year, and ESP will cease in Butler County.
"It's going to be a real struggle. We're going to be in a lot of trouble," Hillman said.
COA Chief Operations Officer Ken Wilson tells us that, since the ESP program last saw a funding increase, there has been a 79% increase in Butler County's 60-and-older population and a 52% increase in the county's 85-and-older population.
The 85-and-older population is projected to increase by an additional 36% by 2040.
"It's that population that is most likely to need assistance," Wilson said.
Hillman and Wilson both acknowledged wide hesitancy among voters to pass renewal levies or property tax increases as prices rise.
Wilson said the total cost of 1.3 mills of renewal and .7 mills of increase, if passed, would amount to around $50 per year per $100,000 of assessed value for property owners.
"It's a little bit that goes a long way to provide care to thousands of older adults throughout Butler County," Wilson said.
Voters will make their decision on the levy on Nov. 4.
