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Michael D. Pitman reports about Butler County, Ohio, politics, county government, countywide issues and Butler County people just like you for Cox Ohio Publishing (including the Hamilton JournalNews, Middletown Journal and several weekly papers in Butler County). He wants your suggestions and questions for more news stories. Leave a comment for him here or e-mail Michael at Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > September > 23 > Entry
Commissioner supports consolidating levies into one
Butler County Commissioner Donald Dixon wants a board established to oversee request for levies and possibly combine local social services levies into one.
This comes as the county’s elderly services board prepares for a levy renewal in 2010, after commissioners reduced collection on that levy because it was taking in more money than it needed.
Dixon believes a levy review board — consisting of people from the various agencies and members of the private sector — would be able to “justify services, justify expenses, make sure there’s no overlap, make sure they’re not heavy on personnel,” he said.
Ultimately, Dixon believes the county should consider merging Children Services, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, mental health, elderly services and more into one levy.
“My whole philosophy is to reduce the taxes and better coordinate and deliver services, and I think a levy review committee certainly puts us on that track,’ he said. “If this economy doesn’t rebound…everybody can’t be running to the ballot, because nobody will be successful.”
Mental Health Board Executive Director Terry Royer likes the idea. The board is looking to go to voters next year with a 1 mill, $7.5 million levy renewal.
Royer said mental health has always had a tougher time passing levies than agencies with a more emotional appeal, like MRDD, and a combined levy would reduce competition among agencies.
But MRDD Executive Director Chris Hurr — whose agency isn’t looking at another levy until 2013 — has concerns about a combined levy.
Hurr was an administrator in Montgomery County MRDD, which has a combined levy. She said it added another costly layer of administration, and doesn’t let voters chose which issues they support and which they don’t. Instead, it puts that decision in the hands of the board.
“There really needs to be careful consideration about the pros and cons, how much power do the people have about saying where the money goes and do you trust the people making that decision?” she said.
It can also turn the numerous smaller levies into one, double digit levy that voters may find hard to swallow, she said.
Children Services Director Jeff Centers — not planning a levy until 2013 at the earliest — said the idea is “worth exploring.”
“If I were a voter, I’d probably feel like I was getting nickeled and dimed by all these agencies,” he said.
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