Geauga Children's Services Levy - Nov. 2, 2010
Thank You Geauga County!
This note is from Barbara Rakes at Geauga Job and Family Services:
Thank you to everyone that helped with the Levy campaign! It is always nice to have a successful campaign and we can be proud that the residents of Geauga County supported us with a 58%-42% margin.
State wide, all 9 of the Children's Services Levies on the ballot passed in this election. This is a nice example that even in these difficult financial times that our communities still believe in supporting services for the children that can't help themselves.
Thank you again!
Barbara Rakes
Director of Social Services
Geauga County Job and Family Services
The residents of Geauga County have supported Children’s Services through a succession of locally approved tax levies since 1984. The current Children’s Services Levy represents 60% of the revenue available to fund the annual operating costs of the Children’s Services division of Geauga County Job and Family Services. The current Children’s Services Levy was passed in 2003 and is a .7 (point seven) mil levy.
This levy was first collected in 2005 and is a seven year levy expiring in 2011. This is the only levy benefiting Geauga Children’s Services. Under state law, the millage for this voted levy is reduced each year so that collections are approximately the same as produced in 2005. This is referred to as the “rollback” provision of voted property taxes.
In anticipation of this levy expiring after 2011, the Board of County Commissioners approved placing a tax issue before the voters of Geauga County which would continue the collection of this levy at the original full .7 mil rate. This type of tax issue is called a Replacement Levy. The proposed Replacement Levy for Children’s Services is a .7 (point seven) mil levy that will take effect in 2012 and remain in effect for five years. The Children’s Services Levy is issue #8 on the ballot. Election Day is Tuesday, November 2nd.
The existing Children’s Services Levy costs the homeowner of a home valued at $100,000 property taxes of $19.02 (nineteen dollars and two cents) per year. If the Replacement Levy is approved, this tax will increase $2.32 (two dollars and thirty-two cents) per year and the home owner of a home valued at $100,000 will then pay a total of $21.34 in property taxes per year to benefit Children’s Services. Funds from the Children’s Services Levy can only be spent on child protective services, services that prevent child abuse and neglect, and foster and adoptive services.
State funding for Geauga Children’s Services was reduced by $360,000 at the beginning of 2010 and reductions of an additional $104,000 will take effect starting in 2011. If approved the replacement levy will generate an additional $235,000 per year starting in 2012. To date, Job and Family Services has reduced contracted social services by approximately $80,000 and annual foster care and out-of-home placement costs have decreased by $150,000 since 2006. The State of Ohio is facing an estimated eight billion dollar deficit for the two year budget cycle that begins July 1, 2011 and it is anticipated that further cuts in funding will be passed on to local government services including county child protective service agencies.
If you have any questions about this levy or Children’s Services in general please contact Job and Family Services at 285-9141.
Levy Materials (all PDF's)
Facts about the Children's Services Levy
