Symmes Township homeowners could see their property tax bills nearly double if Hamilton County commissioners approve the largest Jobs and Family Services levy option for the November ballot. Even a scaled-back version would mark the first increase in eight years.

The three-member Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote August 4 at 10 a.m. on which levy option to send to voters. The current JFS levy, which passed in 2021 and generates about $81 million annually, expires at the end of 2026. It costs homeowners $81.15 per $100,000 in home value.

The county's Tax Levy Review Committee recommended a 6.57-mill levy that would cost $157 per $100,000, according to FOX19, but commissioners have signaled they won't go that high. Commissioner Denise Driehaus told WVXU she supports a 5.61-mill option collected over four years, which would provide about half the funding the agency says it needs. The board has more than a dozen options on the table.

Driehaus said at the July 30 commission meeting that she wants a levy "as low as we can go for the taxpayers" while still funding mandated services to keep children safe.

Reece walks out over funding dispute

The vote comes after Commission Vice President Alicia Reece walked out of a July 29 staff meeting. Reece had pushed to use stadium sales tax funds or borrow against future stadium earnings to reduce the property tax burden on homeowners. County attorneys and bond counsel concluded that approach would violate state law.

Reece disputes that legal opinion, saying attorneys she has consulted argue the bond language leaves room for a portion of the fund to be used for other purposes.

"If we're going to save the children, we've got to at least get as creative as we do with these stadiums," Reece told WCPO.

Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas told WVXU that if the levy fails at the ballot, the county would have to pull money from its general fund, calling that outcome "a tragedy for not only the children, but also for Hamilton County."

What's at stake

More than 13,000 children in Hamilton County received levy-funded services last year, including child abuse and neglect investigations and foster care support. JFS has already cut $36 million from its budget to address rising caseloads and costs.

If the levy fails in November, the county is legally required to fund children's services anyway. County Administrator Jeff Aluotto warned in July that a failure would have "absolute major impacts" across county government, noting that 75% of the general fund supports public safety and judicial operations.

Ohio ranks second lowest in the nation for state contributions to child welfare at 18%, compared to a national average of 42%.

Theresa Tillman-Paige, a Mount Auburn foster mother who has cared for roughly 60 teenagers over 16 years with JFS support, told WCPO on July 31 that teens are the children most in need but least likely to find permanent homes.

How to weigh in

Commissioners must approve a levy option by 4 p.m. August 5 to make the November ballot. Tuesday's meeting is at 138 E. Court Street, Room 605, Cincinnati, at 10 a.m. Five public hearings have already been held.