The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities has requested a levy be put on the May 2026 ballot to improve its financial situation. Board Superintendent Lee Ann Emmons presented the proposal to county commissioners Tuesday.
The agency declared a fiscal emergency in September after projecting a $13.3 million spending deficit for 2026.
The Board of Developmental Disabilities supports more than 4,000 Butler County residents, including more than half who are infants, young children or school-age children, by providing or connecting them with services to help them live and work in their communities.
Emmons told commissioners the agency's revenue has remained stagnant for more than two decades. The board currently is funded by a 2-mill continuing levy, passed in Butler County in 2000, and a 1-mill continuing levy, passed in 2004. Meanwhile, its costs and the number of people the agency assists have grown.
"We're there. We're at the point where we really can't afford to do anything else without new money," Emmons said.
The board requested a new 2-mill continuing levy for next year's primary ballot, which would generate $26.4 million annually for the agency beginning in 2027.
Amid its fiscal emergency, the Board of Developmental Disabilities has cut expenses by more than $2 million this year, mainly by reducing employee working hours, freezing salaries and not filling open positions. Even with those cuts, it's not nearly enough to pull the agency out of a financial hole.
Following the board's request, Butler County Commissioner Cindy Carpenter shared her support for a levy.
"I don't see how you have any wiggle room from this point forward without making devastating cuts that are going to negatively impact individuals you're serving," Carpenter said. "If there's anything I can do, I'll be willing to help on the next levy."
Commissioners are expected to vote on whether to approve putting the levy on the ballot at their next meeting Dec. 9.
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