CINCINNATI — Hamilton County commissioners voted on Monday to place an increased children's services levy on the November ballot, warning that if the measure doesn't pass, it could have catastrophic consequences on the county's budget and the children it serves.
The levy funds Hamilton County Job and Family Services programs, including child abuse and neglect investigations, family reunification, adoption and foster care support. Last year alone, the levy helped more than 13,000 children.
The current levy, which passed in 2021, generates about $81 million annually and expires at the end of the year. It costs homeowners roughly $81 for every $100,000 in home value per year. The levy on the ballot this November would bring that cost up to $121 for every $100,000.
WATCH: An increased children's services levy will be on the November ballot. Here's what to know
Commissioners Denise Driehaus and Stephanie Summerow Dumas voted yes on putting the proposal on the ballot, which would generate roughly $117 million per year. Commissioner Alicia Reece voted to abstain.
"The final vote will be from the voters of Hamilton County," Reece said.
Reece had proposed an alternative plan that would have raised the levy by only 10% while using a portion of stadium sales tax revenue to help close the funding gap. Neither of the other two commissioners supported it.
"We will not be able to fund everything on the backs of the homeowners. We've got to find a new model, a new sustainable model." Reece said.
The vote came after commissioners considered 15 proposals over the last few months. They narrowed those options down to seven considerations on Monday, ranging from a flat renewal up to a $61 million annual tax increase. The Tax Levy Review Commission recommended a roughly 71% levy increase, which commissioners deemed too high a tax burden for homeowners.
Driehaus said the 38% increase, close to half of what the TLRC recommended, strikes a necessary balance.
"What it does is create this balance between the needs of the kids in this community and the taxpayers in this community, and how can we address both?" Driehaus said. "Keeping kids safe in Hamilton County is not only a critical legal obligation that we have, from my vantage point, it is a moral obligation of this community."
Even if the levy isn't renewed by voters, the county is still legally required to fund children's services.
"If we don't pass the levy, we go to zero (funding). So I just want to be very clear: we don't go back to where we started. We go to zero," Driehaus said. "It would be catastrophe for this county because now where are you coming up with that money, right? ... The general fund would be devastated.
Summerow Dumas said her goal throughout the process was to fully fund the mandated work of the levy while keeping taxes as low as possible.
"We are responsible for providing legally required services that protect children from abuse and neglect." Summerow Dumas said. "Without a levy, abused and neglected children would not have what they need."
She shared a recent example of the work JFS caseworkers perform. This past Friday, she said children's services took custody of 14 children who needed a safe place to stay and all 14 were placed in homes by the end of the night.
"This is just one example of what our caseworkers do on a daily basis," she said. "It may not (always) be 14, but I want to thank them for all the work that they do and continue to do."
Summerow Dumas also issued a call to the state for help, saying that Ohio's rainy day fund currently holds $3.94 billion while the state continues to push the cost of mandated services down to local governments. Driehaus said that Ohio ranks second-to-last in the country in state funding for children's services.
Driehaus said the county would continue pursuing alternative revenue sources for children's services, and a new JFS director, Bob Anderson, is coming in with additional ideas to reduce costs.
"We have really benefited from the levies in terms of really always looking at best practices and not just the basic needs, but how do we help children thrive and get to permanency?" Hamilton County JFS Children's Services Director Margie Weaver said.
The increased levy was also endorsed by the Cincinnati Regional Chamber.
"Growing, thriving regions take care of their most vulnerable residents, especially our children, so they can get the care they need." Pete Metz with the Cincinnati Regional Chamber said. "We look forward to partnering and continuing to partner with the county, the administration, the providers, and the business community to ensure that we can keep costs down and maintain high-quality service moving forward."
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