After some heated discussion, the Hamilton County commissioners will decide how much to increase a levy to support children who have been abused and neglected.
The commissioners will vote on whether to put an increased children’s services levy on the ballot this November at a meeting on Monday, Aug. 3.
The levy funds child protection investigations, foster care, adoption and family reunification, which is when courts return children to their parents or guardians. Commissioner Denise Driehaus called it the county's most important levy at a commissioners' meeting on July 30.
It was first passed in 1996 and then increased in 2018. Voters last approved it in 2021 at a rate of 4.51 mills. It currently costs taxpayers $81.15 per $100,000 home and generates
about $81 million per year.
County staff have said the levy must increase because the costs of out-of-home placements for children have increased, there are more children in foster care, and their needs are more acute.
Commissioners have 15 options to consider, but only one can be placed on the ballot. Driehaus said the commissioners have never had so many levy options to consider before.
What are commissioners saying?
- Driehaus has expressed support for the options that would increase the levy by about 38%, roughly half of what the Tax Levy Review Committee recommended increasing the levy by. She said the county should explore moving money from the general budget to reduce the tax burden on property owners. "The administrator has given us some ideas about how we would fill the gap between what was recommended, what we know we need, and what we are going to rely on through the property tax, knowing that homeowners are strained," she said.
- Commissioner Alicia Reece said she would like to consider options that raise the levy by 10% or 20%.
- Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas said that the levy "definitely" needs to pass for the sake of the children and other county residents as commissioners balance the general budget. She said she will make her decision on Monday.
What are the levy options?
If you go
The commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. at the Todd B. Portune Center for County Government at 138 E Court St. in Cincinnati.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Hamilton County commissioners vote today on increased tax for children
