Delaware Source will be reporting on the levies, issues and races that will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot from now until after the election. We will report the election results as they come in on election night.
DELAWARE — Delaware County voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to approve an additional 1.8-mill property tax levy to support the operations of the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
The proposed levy is one of two countywide tax issues on the general election ballot.
The 1.8-mill levy would not fund the construction or maintenance of the new county shared-services building that will eventually house the DCBDD.
Instead, it would join the board’s existing 0.4-mill continuous levy in funding DCBDD operations.
How much will the levy collect?
Delaware County Auditor George Kaitsa estimates the levy would generate approximately $25.4 million annually if approved.
For property owners, the 1.8-mill levy would cost $63 annually for every $100,000 of the auditor’s market value. That means the owner of a home valued at $500,000 would pay $315 per year.
The levy would run for five years, beginning with tax year 2026 and first being collected in calendar year 2027.
The DCBDD is seeking this levy now after the board’s 2.0-mill levy that originally passed in 2011 expired on Dec. 31, 2025. Collections for that levy will end on Dec. 31, 2026.
A renewal and increase levy of 2.7 mills for five years was narrowly rejected by 575 votes in the primary election, with votes against the levy at 50.72%.
“The passing of this levy is critical for the people we serve,” DCBDD Superintendent Kristine Hodge said.
She said the levy is classified as additional because it will collect $28.25 more than the previous levy did for every $100,0000 of valuation.
Levy revenue provides the local share required by law that has to be paid before the board can access matching federal Medicaid dollars, according to the DCBDD’s website.
That Medicaid match money is DCBDD’s largest budget driver, according to the website.
Hodges said in 2015, that waiver match was about $4 million per year; now its between $16-17 million as a result of extreme growth in the county and an increase in the Medicaid waiver rates at the state level.
What would the levy fund?
The levy would fund the DCBDD’s core services, which support over 2,400 children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families throughout Delaware County, according to DCBDD’s website.
The DCBDD serves people with autism, blindness, cerebral palsy, deafness, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, muscular dystrophy, seizure disorder and more.
It supports people with those developmental disabilities through three core areas:
- Early intervention identifies children under the age of 3 with developmental delays and disabilities and connects them with a team of professionals to meet their needs.
- Family support provides services to eligible individuals ages 3 and above who are not enrolled in an Ohio Medicaid administered waiver program, which lets eligible individuals receive care at home or in the community instead of in an institution. Services can include specialized liquid nutrition, specialized therapy, specialized equipment, specialized camps/classes, home modifications and assistive technology.
- Service and support administration assigns a service and support administrator to individuals ages 3 and above who are eligible for DCBDD services and have ongoing Medicaid waiver needs. Administrators provide assistance with daily living needs, therapeutic needs, learning new skills, connection to resources and social groups and support to find and maintain a job.
According to DCBBD’s website, the organization has also implemented several cost-savings measures in the last few years, resulting in a savings of over $5.3 million.
Some of those measures include relocating to a county-owned building, transitioning to Summit Housing as DCBDD’s specialized housing partner, using commercial insurance instead of self-insurance and more.
“We are trying to be excellent stewards of taxpayer dollars. We only want to ask for what we absolutely need,” Hodges said.
Hodges said the board chose to ask for a 1.8-mill additional levy rather than the previously-collected 2.0-mill levy because with newly-assessed appraisal rates, this levy will collect more than the previous levy.
“But in all honestly, that’s going to just sustain services, not add new ones,” she said.
“I would like to ask for enough money to obliterate my waiting list, but I’m conscientious of the amount of money it takes to do these sort of things,” she said.
That waiting list is already at 200 people — and if the levy fails, it will likely become higher, Hodges said.
What if the levy fails?
Since the levy failed in May, DCBDD has only been able to move people off its waiting list on an emergency-need basis because there are positions the board has not been able to fill.
Hodges said another levy failure would leave the board without funding to continue some non-mandated programs, including Early Intervention and Family Support Services.
“If we don’t pass this, then we are losing millions of dollars of funding,” Hodges said.
The DCBDD’s website lists the following as consequences of a levy failure:
- All new Medicaid waiver enrollment will be suspended.
- Development and implementation of an employee reduction/layoff plan of the 96 employees.
- Elimination of the Advocacy Grant program, which provides $2,500 per applicant per year to individuals, families and organizations for advocacy projects or outreach events “that promote understanding and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities.”
- Elimination of the Accessibility Grant program, which provides funding to organizations for projects that promote inclusivity by meeting or exceeding the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The grant also helps fund education and training programs.
- Elimination of rent subsidy program for adults supported by DCBDD.
- Elimination of psychological evaluation services.
Hodges also said the 200 local partner providers the DCBDD works with would also feel the effects from not having as many clients.
“Most [of those organizations] just support the people who are eligible for our services,” Hodges said.
“I know every ask is a big ask, but what that does for people with developmental disabilities and their families is essential,” Hodges said.
“People don’t need us until they need us. You don’t ever want to need us.”
