MOUNT VERNON – Knox County Children Services is hoping to pass a replacement levy on the Nov. 6 ballot that would give the agency additional funding, which Director Matthew Kurtz said is needed to serve the rising number of children it has recently taken into custody due to the drug crisis.
By replacing the old levy (which had operated under 1998 property tax values) with one that applies current property tax values, Children Services would receive an additional $800,000 per year for the next 10 years. The levy had previously generated just under $1 million each year, Kurtz said, which means that a replacement would nearly double the agency’s yearly tax revenue.
For a county taxpayer who has a property value of $100,000, Kurtz estimates this will raise yearly dues to Children Services from $20 to $45. The agency’s levy comes up for a vote every 10 years and was originally approved by voters in 1988.
According to Kurtz, this replacement levy is necessary because of the sharp increase in the number of children who have come to the agency for care.
In 1998, Knox County Children Services averaged 29 children in county custody. Yearly placement costs for those children totaled $260,000. A fact sheet provided by the agency states that, at the time, Children Services “mainly investigated cases of unclean homes or children left alone.”
In 2008, Children Services averaged 35 children in custody, and placement costs increased to $340,000 per year. However, because the agency had a rainy day fund, it only asked for a renewal of the levy that had applied 1998 property values.
However, when the recent drug epidemic struck Ohio (drug overdose deaths have more than tripled statewide since 2008), Children Services saw a steep increase in the number of local children needing care.
Currently, Children Services has 122 children in custody. The agency’s fact sheet states that 75 percent of today’s open Children Services cases are “drug involved.” In 2017, yearly placement costs for those children totaled $2.6 million.
Kurtz believes there is a direct correlation between the county’s drug epidemic and this childcare trend, as many parents are unable to take care of their children after succumbing to addiction.
“When parents are unable to care for them due to physical and mental health reasons (including drug addiction), we are here to provide care for them,” Kurtz said in an email. “We often partner with family members to help with care for children, as this is usually a less traumatic disruption for the child. When family isn’t available, we place children into foster care.
“Some of the children have been so damaged by the abuse or neglect that they need treatment in a hospital-like setting for some period of time. This type of placement is quite expensive. So it’s important that we have the financial support of the levy to accomplish this mission.”
According to a study done by the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, 28 percent of children taken into custody in 2015 had parents using opioids. Children are also remaining in care longer due to the time it takes an addict to recover, which has reduced the number of available foster homes.
Statewide, there were 1,336 more children in custody in 2016 than there were in 2012. Foster care costs have increased 20 percent statewide over that time, sending care agencies quickly into deficit.
In Knox County, the majority of Children Services’ funding comes locally (52 percent). Federal funding accounts for 38 percent, while state funding makes up 10 percent of the agency’s budget. This is a trend seen statewide, as PCSAO states that Ohio is 50th in the nation for state investment in children services, with state funding coming in four times lower than the national average.
This heightens the need for local funding during such dire times.
“Every dollar of the additional $800,000 will be needed to provide a safe place for children in our care,” Kurtz said.
Kurtz noted that the agency’s levy campaign committee has organized speaking engagements at local service clubs and civic organizations to increase awareness of the levy. The committee has also provided yard signs in support of the levy for those interested.
“We have received much positive feedback from the community. We are thankful for the community’s support,” said Kurtz, who has worked with the agency since 1992 and has been director since 2009.
“The most important thing we wish the voters to know is that due to the drug epidemic and the increased number of children needing our services, we need the increased funding that the replacement of the levy provides.”
Knox County Children Services offers a bevy of social resources and supportive services to children, according to its website. These services include: risk assessment/investigation of child abuse and neglect, child protective services, child care, foster care, adoption, post-adoption support and advocacy, among others.
Children Services’ property tax replacement levy is the only county-wide replacement levy on this year’s ballot. Hilliar Township has a replacement levy on the ballot for the purpose of maintaining and operating cemeteries, while the remaining levy issues are renewals or requests for additional funding.
