East-side homeowners will pay about $121 per $100,000 in home value annually for children's services if Hamilton County voters approve a levy increase on the Wednesday, November 4 ballot. That's a 38% jump from the current $81 per $100,000.
Commissioners Denise Driehaus and Stephanie Summerow Dumas voted Monday, August 3, to place the four-year, 5.61-mill levy before voters. Commissioner Alicia Reece abstained.
As we reported July 16, the levy was expected to land on the ballot, though the final cost came in lower than the $154-per-$100,000 figure discussed at the time. The Tax Levy Review Committee had recommended a 6.57-mill levy at $157 per $100,000, but commissioners deemed that too steep for voters.
What it means for east-side homeowners
The dollar impact scales with property value. For a home near Terrace Park's or Mariemont's median of roughly $580,000, the annual levy cost would rise from about $470 to about $700. For a home at Indian Hill's median of $1.7 million, the increase goes from roughly $1,377 to $2,057.
The levy would generate approximately $117 million per year for Hamilton County Job and Family Services, up from the current $81 million. The existing levy expires at the end of 2026.
Why the increase
Foster care placement costs in Hamilton County have risen 90% since 2022, and the number of children needing foster care is up 19% over the same period, according to Fox 19. JFS has already cut $36 million from its budget, WVXU reported. Last year, the levy funded services for more than 13,000 children.
"If we don't pass the levy, we go to zero," Driehaus said at the August 3 meeting, according to WVXU. "We don't go back to where we started. We go to zero. That is dramatic, and it would be a catastrophe for this county."
If the levy fails, the county must still fund children's services by law but would have to draw from the general fund.
Reece's alternative
Reece proposed a smaller 4.78-mill levy at roughly $91 per $100,000, subsidized by a portion of stadium sales tax revenue. County attorneys and bond counsel said that approach would violate state law. Neither Driehaus nor Summerow Dumas supported it.
"We will not be able to fund everything on the backs of the homeowners," Reece said at the August 3 meeting. "We've got to find a new model, a new sustainable model."
Four years, not five
Summerow Dumas said commissioners shortened the levy from the typical five-year term to four years. She told the August 3 meeting that the commission may need to "readjust things," so they opted for the shorter term.
Ohio ranks second-to-last nationally in state funding for children's services, contributing about 18% of child welfare costs compared to a national average of 42%. Summerow Dumas called on the state to help, noting Ohio's rainy day fund holds a record $3.94 billion.
What's next
Hamilton County voters will decide on the levy Wednesday, November 4. New JFS Director Bob Anderson is expected to bring additional cost-reduction proposals, according to Driehaus. The Cincinnati Regional Chamber endorsed the levy at the August 3 meeting.
