Hey, fellow Angry Ohioans.
This is a continuation of my evaluation of the issues appearing on the November ballot.
The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party distributed its endorsements for Issues 3 and 10 through 14.
The party recommends voting yes on Issue 10.
My recommendation is NO
What Is Issue 10?
Issue 10 is an additional 2.25-mill property-tax levy for the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
If approved, the levy would last 10 years and raise approximately $99.7 million annually. The money could be used for developmental-disability programs and services, as well as acquiring, constructing, renovating, financing, maintaining and operating facilities.
Cuyahoga DD provides services that include early intervention, speech and occupational therapy, employment assistance, behavioral support, housing assistance, service coordination, respite care and other resources for residents with developmental disabilities.
What Is a Mill?
A mill is $1 ( one dollar)) in tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value.
Ohio generally assesses residential property at 35% of its market value. That means a house with a county market value of $300,000 has an assessed value of:
$300,000 × 35% = $105,000
One mill on that property would cost approximately:
$105,000 ÷ 1,000 = $105 annually
That works out to approximately $8.75 per month for each new mill.
For a 2.25-mill levy:
$105 × 2.25 = approximately $236.25 annually
For a property valued at $300,000, Issue 10 would therefore cost approximately:
$236.25 annually
About $19.69 monthly
The county provides an online calculator that residents can use with the official market value assigned to their property. Cuyahoga County levy calculator
This Is an Additional Levy
Cuyahoga County voters approved a separate 3.9-mill Developmental Disabilities levy in 2005.
That levy is continuing, meaning it has no automatic expiration date. Cuyahoga DD states that the levy remains in place today.
Issue 10 would not replace the existing levy. It would add another 2.25 mills for 10 years.
If Issue 10 passes:
The existing 3.9-mill levy continues.
An additional 2.25 mills is collected for 10 years.
The new levy raises approximately $99.7 million annually.
If Issue 10 fails:
The proposed 2.25-mill levy does not begin.
The existing 3.9-mill continuing levy remains.
Current funding is not immediately eliminated by the failure of Issue 10.
That distinction is important. Voting against the proposal would not repeal the levy approved in 2005. Voting for it would authorize an additional revenue source.
The Questions Voters Should Ask
County Council and the County Executive have expanded staff, created new boards and departments, gone through ARPA money and reserve funds, and created and spent slush funds. Now they are asking you for more money while failing to practice fiscal responsibility.
The policy question is whether County Council and the County Executive have demonstrated that the existing levy and other revenue sources are truly insufficient to maintain the current level of service, and, if so, what steps they could have taken earlier to avoid or reduce the need for additional taxpayer funding.
The Household Affordability Context
Issue 10 is appearing at a time when households are facing higher costs for housing, utilities, insurance, groceries and fuel.
As of this writing, Ohio has $4.60 per gallon for regular gasoline and $6.70 for diesel.
Property owners may also be dealing with higher tax bills because of new levies (see tomorrow’s post about issue 11), updated property values or new construction. The county explains that additional levies and property reappraisals are two factors that can increase a homeowner’s bill.
We have to consider this in the context of all prices going up, from everything you buy at the grocery store to utilities and property taxes. For example, a Bay Village home that was valued at $175,000 before 2020 and had an annual property tax bill of about $4,200/yr, could now be valued at $300,000 or more, with an estimated annual tax bill of around $7,100. That is an increase of almost $3,000 per year, or another $250 per month.
Issue 10 represents approximately another $20 per month.
Issue 10 therefore presents a specific choice: authorize another 2.25 mills for 10 years or continue funding the Board through the existing 3.9-mill continuing levy and its other current revenue sources.
Look for tomorrow’s newsletter, when we will examine Issue 11 and the proposed Health and Human Services levy.
Sorry, but I’m likely to vote Yes. The fund managers may be sloppy, but I grew up in an era when no one even acknowledged such problems existed( & so now the least I can do is support families that suffer (even at the cost of extra taxes). I’ll skip that sports game instead.