Advocates are encouraging Hamilton County Commissioners to approve placing an increased Children's Services levy on the November ballot. Foster parents and service providers spoke in favor of a new levy during a public hearing Tuesday.
The Tax Levy Review Committee (TLRC) previously reported the existing levy from 2018 generates $81 million per year, but Job and Family Services (JFS) needs $144 million from the levy annually to continue to provide base-level, mandated services. The agency has already made $36 million in reductions to help deal with a budget shortfall created by a rising number of kids in the system, and increased costs of care.
The TLRC is recommending a $144 million levy, which amounts to a 6.57 mill levy (4.51 mill renewal and 2.06 mill increase) that would cost $157 per $100,000 in home value, according to the county.
Interim Director John Nelson said JFS is looking at a host of ways to save money, especially placing kids with family members rather than foster homes or in residential facilities.
"We're really looking at our intake model and making sure that we are only bringing kids into care that absolutely need [it]," he said. "If kids, when they're coming into care, if there's a kin available, we're looking at placing kids with kin so as to reduce the cost of the placement cost. We know for a fact ... that kinship is the lowest available option for us in terms of placement costs."
He said the agency is also looking to maximize reimbursements, reviewing levels of care to ensure they're balanced, identifying non-mandated services, and looking for other ways to cut costs or save money.
Hamilton County Juvenile Court Administrator Liz Igoe said the court often works with kids who've been abused or neglected.
"These are oftentimes very young children, but despite their age, they've experienced significant trauma and they are struggling with the impacts from that. The interventions by JFS and the court — they're not optional. These are our statutory mandates, and we're responsible to protect these children. In order to do that, obviously, we need funding. If the funding is not provided through the Children's Services levy. These mandated services will have to be absorbed through the county through the general fund," she said.
Several speakers pointed out that failing to take care of children now will cost taxpayers more in the long run.
"We have to continue to support our children, or else we will pay exponentially more when we have to rehabilitate them as adults," said Carly LaGory, a foster parent.
Another foster parent, Amber Wegford, said children need more than just a safe home.
"They need trauma-informed mental health care, medical providers, caseworkers, GALs, crisis services, kinship caregivers, foster families, and many others working together to help them heal. The children that we've cared for have directly benefited from the services supported by the system, including mental health care and other specialized supports. To protect their privacy, I will not share the details of their experience, but I can say with certainty that having those services available when they needed them most made a meaningful difference for our family and the children entrusted in our care. Those supports exist because our community chooses to invest in them," she said.
Commissioner Denise Driehaus notes the requested tax increase is substantial and says the board has to balance the needs of children with the will of the voters when deciding how much the levy should be.
"They are the ones that will approve or not approve of this levy, and we can't put something on the ballot that we think will not be approved by the voters. That would be catastrophic and the worst decision ever, and so we have to look at all of these things and create the balance. But the primary concern is making sure that the kids in this community are safe and the voters have something that they can agree to on the ballot."
Until somewhat recently, JFS hadn't seen significant revenue increases. Voters approved a levy increase that started in 1996 and was renewed several times. Reductions in state and federal funding and increases in the level of care needed for children prompted a mid-cycle "bridge" levy in 2018. Voters then approved a new levy in 2021.
Commissioners have also noted the state isn't providing much relief to local taxpayers, either.
According to a previous report from the Tax Levy Review Committee, the average amount a state contributes to child welfare is 42%. Ohio ranks second lowest at 18%
One more public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at 6:15 p.m. at the Hamilton County Central Campus in Bond Hill.
Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas notes the board is on a short timeline. The deadline to set an amount for the November ballot is Aug. 5.
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