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DELAWARE — Voters failed to pass the proposed renewal and increase levy for the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities (DCBDD) during the May 5 primary election.
This prompted one Delaware Source reader to ask what the failure means for the board’s services and eventual relocation to the shared county building that broke ground on May 18.
The 70,000-square-foot facility will eventually house Delaware County Job & Family Services, the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, the Delaware-Morrow Mental Health & Recovery Services Board and the Delaware County Veterans’ Service Office under one roof.
DCBDD Superintendent Kristine Hodge said the board’s relocation is on schedule, as the 2.0-mill renewal and 0.7-mill increase levy that did not pass in May will not impact the building’s progress.
“The new building is a Delaware County project that has been in planning since 2017, and DCBDD levy funds play no role in it,” she said in an email.
However, Hodge could not say the same for the board’s services.
“The levy that failed is DCBDD’s main source of revenue, and our board members are working through what that means for our programs and services,” she said. “We will keep the public informed as we work through those details.”
The superintendent did say voters can expect the levy to return for November’s ballot, but could not say whether the language would remain the same.
“A levy request will be on the November ballot,” Hodge said. “Tax levy funding is DCBDD’s primary source of revenue, and without it, DCBDD would be unable to support county residents with developmental disabilities.
“As for whether the levy will look the same or change in some way, those details are still being worked through by our board members, but all non-mandated services are at risk.”
What if the levy fails again?
The DCBDD levy failed on May 5 by fewer than 600 votes.
Final election results were certified by the Delaware County Board of Elections on May 19. According to the official canvass, 20,251 voters (50.69%) voted against the levy, while 19,699 voters (49.31%) voted in favor of it.
The levy was a renewal and increase request for 2.7 mills over five years to support operations and disability services facilities.
Overall turnout for the election was 24.4%, with 40,561 ballots cast out of 166,234 registered voters.
Hodge did not speculate why the board thought the levy failed in May. Rather, she focused on ways the organization plans to reach voters before November’s election.
“What we do know is that we have work to do in helping the community better understand who DCBDD serves, what we do, and why this funding matters to Delaware County residents,” she said.
“We recognize that awareness is critical, and we intend to be more proactive in reaching voters, sharing stories from the people and families we serve, and making sure the case for this levy is clear before Election Day.”
If the levy does fail again, Hodge said the consequences would be severe and highlighted a few non-mandated programs that could get the short end of the stick.
“Funding would not be available to continue providing non-mandated programs, such as Early Intervention and Family Support Services, and even state-mandated services would be at risk,” Hodge explained.
“For our community members who rely on DCBDD, this would represent a devastating loss of support.”
