Hamilton County's abused and neglected children cannot wait. Vote yes on the Children's Services levy.
Every day in Hamilton County, a caseworker answers another call about a child who has been abused or neglected. The question is whether this county will still have the money to answer. The League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area urges a yes vote on the Hamilton County Children’s Services levy that will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot.
The four-year, 5.61-mill levy to fund Children's Services will ask homeowners to pay an additional $39 per $100,000 of property value beyond what they have paid in recent years.
This will be about $121 per $100,000 of home value. Without this levy, dedicated local funding for protecting these children ends.
There is no backup plan, and the state does not step in.
Ohio leaves much of the bill to counties
We know families are stretched. Like our neighbors, League members are paying more for nearly everything − and so is Jobs and Family Services, which faces unprecedented increases in the cost of caring for children who cannot stay safely at home.
But the children this levy protects did not choose their circumstances. Children in foster care, and children in specialized treatment for physical and mental health needs, depend on a community that cares enough to provide the services they need − and they cannot wait for cheaper times.
The League of Women Voters has written positions on supporting "policies and programs at all levels of the community and government that promote the well-being, encourage the full development, and ensure the safety of all children." Locally, the League supports Hamilton County “levies funding county services based on a determined level of need that balances funds, services and resources (and) funding broadly defined services that can respond to changing conditions and needs.”
The state has left Hamilton County to carry this burden nearly alone. 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%. This needs to change.
Half of the League of Women Voters’ motto is “Defending Democracy.” One way a community defends its democracy is by defending its most vulnerable people − and no one is more vulnerable than a child in foster care.
On Nov. 3, vote yes for the Hamilton County Children’s Services levy.
Claire Wagner is president of the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Hamilton County's vulnerable children cannot wait | Opinion
