Hamilton County voters will decide whether to increase property taxes to pay for children's services this November.
Here's what to know about the levy.
What is Issue 10?
Issue 10 is a renewal of the current levy for children's services, plus an increase.
How much is the current levy?
The current levy, which expires this year, costs taxpayers $81.15 per $100,000 home and generates about $81 million per year.
How much is the increase?
The proposed levy totals 5.61 mills, which means it will cost property owners $121 per $100,000 of property value for four years. That's roughly a 50% increase.
What would it pay for?
The levy funds Hamilton County's child abuse hotline, child protection investigations, foster care, adoption and family reunification, which is when courts return children to their parents or guardians.
Why do county officials want the increase?
County officials 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.
Where do people stand?
The Cincinnati Regional Chamber endorsed the levy just after commissioners voted to put it on the ballot.
Brendon Cull, chamber president and chief executive officer, said the organization is pleased there is a "balanced outcome that serves children, residents and businesses alike."
The Hamilton County Democratic Party has also endorsed the levy. Peter Matthews, a pastor at New Vision United Methodist Church and a member of the Hamilton County Tax Levy Review Committee, spoke in favor of endorsing the levy at a meeting of the party's executive committee on Aug. 12.
"It is an increase, $10 a month, and yet the alternative, I believe personally, is children sleeping in the county office buildings and paying far, far more in jails or emergency rooms," he said.
The Hamilton County Republican Party has not yet taken a position on the levy. Chair Josh Gerth said in a statement to The Enquirer that the campaign to support the levy "would be wise to address our party’s concerns about property tax bills and why this request is in the best interests of conservatives in Hamilton County."
What happens if it passes?
This proposed levy was a balance between the needs of Hamilton County Job and Family Services and the burden on county taxpayers, Commissioner Denise Driehaus said.
Should the levy pass, commissioners will still need to move money in the county's general budget for children's services. The general budget funds social services, roads and bridges, among other county obligations. It also funds county departments like the sheriff's office and prosecutor's office.
Commissioners already cut children’s services by $36 million in the last county budget.
What happens if it fails?
Many of the services funded by the levy are mandated by state and federal law, so the county would have to find money in a budget that officials have already described as "difficult to balance."
Driehaus said at a meeting on Aug. 3 that the levy failing would be a "catastrophe." Because the current levy is expiring, there would be no money outside of the county's budget for children's services.
"Where are you coming up with that money?" she said.
How do I vote?
The election is Nov. 3. The deadline to register to vote in Ohio is Oct. 5. To check your voter registration, visit voteohio.gov.
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: What to know about Hamilton County Issue 10
