Hamilton County’s most vulnerable children need our support and protection. And on Nov. 3, voters will have an opportunity to show just how much we value their safety and well-being.
A yes vote on Issue 10, the Hamilton County Children’s Services levy, is crucial.
Let’s be clear about what’s at stake.
If voters reject Issue 10, funding doesn’t simply remain where it is while county officials figure out how to make do with less. The current levy expires at year’s end. Without its renewal, dedicated property tax funding for Children’s Services disappears.
Gone. Zero.
But the county’s legal obligation to protect abused, neglected and endangered children doesn’t disappear with it. That means finding tens of millions of dollars elsewhere in the county budget
to pay for mandated services, potentially jeopardizing everything from law enforcement to other essential public services.
It’s a fiscal nightmare county officials desperately want to avoid. And one voters shouldn’t invite.
Two critical levies, one difficult choice
The current levy generates approximately $81 million annually and costs homeowners $81.15 per $100,000 in property value. Issue 10 would increase that to approximately $121 annually, generating nearly $117 million a year. That’s roughly a 50% increase in what property owners pay.
It’s a steep ask at a time when families are already struggling with rising grocery bills, housing costs, utilities, insurance premiums and seemingly endless demands on their paychecks. Complicating matters is another critical levy on the ballot for Cincinnati Public Schools, which also carries a significant price tag.
Concerns about the combined financial burden prompted the Cincinnati Regional Chamber, which supports the Children’s Services levy, and the Cincinnati Business Committee to urge CPS to pause its request.
We understand the concern. Nobody wants to see families taxed out of their homes. But our children’s futures shouldn’t be pitted against one another.
As this board argued in supporting the CPS levy, investing in children isn’t optional simply because the price is uncomfortable.
Both levies need and deserve our support.
The price of protecting children keeps rising
Consider what Hamilton County Children’s Services is up against.
More than 2,200 children were in county custody in June. Thousands more depend on services that investigate abuse, protect children from dangerous homes and help families stay together.
Since 2021, out-of-home placement costs have skyrocketed roughly 90%, now consuming about half the annual levy budget. Rising mental health needs, increasingly complex cases and workforce shortages have only compounded the problem.
The county has already approved approximately $36 million in budget reductions. Commissioners also chose a smaller levy than the $144 million annually recommended to maintain base-level mandated services.
In other words, this isn’t a blank check. And even passage won’t eliminate every difficult decision.
Hamilton County has also made extensive use of kinship care, placing children with relatives or trusted adults rather than traditional foster homes. It’s generally less expensive and, more importantly, helps preserve family connections and stability.
Then there are programs such as Kids in School Rule and independent living services, which help children succeed academically and young adults find housing, employment and educational opportunities after leaving foster care. These services may not all be legally mandated, but they’re essential to breaking cycles of instability and poverty.
We shouldn’t measure their value solely by what they cost today, but by the suffering and expense they can prevent tomorrow.
Every child deserves more than a fighting chance
The tragic story of 14-year-old Lamarion Moland should remind us what’s at stake when the systems responsible for protecting children fall short.
Lamarion spent nearly a decade in foster care and group homes. In September, he jumped from a moving vehicle while being transported from psychiatric care to a group home, despite reportedly having warned that he might do exactly that.
He died days later.
His family has raised troubling questions about the decisions made before his death. Those questions deserve answers and accountability.
Lamarion’s case involved Butler County’s child welfare system, not Hamilton County’s. And more funding alone cannot prevent every tragedy. But his death is a heartbreaking reminder that vulnerable children need more than a roof over their heads. They need appropriate mental health treatment, attentive caseworkers, safe placements and adults who listen when they cry out for help.
They need a system with the resources and accountability to do its job.
We can pay now or pay a much higher price later
As we wrote about the CPS levy, this is a pay-now-or-pay-later proposition.
When vulnerable children slip through the cracks, the consequences don’t magically disappear when they turn 18. They can show up later in emergency rooms, homeless shelters, unemployment lines, correctional facilities and mental health crises.
And taxpayers often end up footing a much larger bill.
Certainly, voters should demand transparency, accountability and responsible stewardship of every dollar. Children’s Services must demonstrate that money is being spent effectively and that children are genuinely safer because of it. But there’s a difference between demanding accountability and dismantling the financial foundation of a system children depend on for survival.
Some government spending priorities are legitimately debatable. Protecting abused and neglected children shouldn’t be one of them.
So, as voters consider Issue 10, we would ask one simple question: What are Hamilton County’s children worth?
We believe they’re worth protecting, investing in and fighting for.
They’re worth a yes vote.
Opinion and Engagement Editor Kevin S. Aldridge writes this on behalf of The Enquirer's editorial board, which includes Editor Beryl Love and Senior News Director of Content Jackie Borchardt. Editorials are fact-based assessments of issues that are important to the communities we serve. These are not the opinions of our reporting staff members, who strive for neutrality in their reporting.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Protecting our children shouldn't be up for debate. Vote yes on Issue 10 | Editorial
