Hamilton County Will Vote On Child Services Levy

Voters in Hamilton County will be asked if they want to raise property taxes in order to fund child services.

(Hamilton County, Oh.) - Voters in Hamilton County will go to the ballot box this November to decide if they want to raise taxes in order to provide more help for abused and neglected children.

On Monday, Hamilton County Commissioners voted 2-1 to put a property tax levy on the ballot. Democrat commissioners Todd Portune and Denise Driehaus outvoted Republican Chris Monzel, who argued funding of children’s services is a state responsibility.

If it passes, the levy would increase taxes on by an extra $69 per year on every $100,000 in home valuation.

Despite a surge in children in need of services due to the opioid epidemic, the county has not increased the levy since 1996. Voters did approve an extension of the levy in 2016, but this year’s ballot question would be a so-called “bridge” until renewal of the full levy is up in 2021.

A consultant for the county determined that the current levy would not support a minimum level of services for the number of children in care. New funding could help hire more case workers.

This is the second tax increase passed by the commissioners along party lines recently. Portune and Driehaus passed a 0.2 percent sales tax increase in June, only to rescind it August 1 under threat of a lawsuit.

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