CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — Supporters of a Cuyahoga County ballot issue said voters will be weighing in on the county’s social services safety net.
A “yes” vote on Issue 26 would renew an eight-year Health and Human Services levy. The 4.8 mill levy generates $137 million annually for roughly half of local HHS funding. The revenue is earmarked specifically for health and human services and cannot be used for anything else.
“I imagine that without this funding, that perhaps the scale of services might not be the same,” said Will Tarter, Jr., a policy fellow at nonpartisan think tank The Center for Community Solutions.
The levy provides some or all of the funding for dozens of county departments and programs, including universal pre-K, the Division of Children and Family Services, the Office of Homeless Services, MetroHealth and more. It makes up 95% of funding for the Division of Senior and Adult Services.
“I look at it as independence,” said Semoine Childs.
She’s been attending programming at the Solon Senior Center four days each week for more than three years, frequenting yoga and tai chi classes, playing cards and socializing with an ever-growing group of friends.
“There’s three parts, being a senior, that we need to activate: the brain, the heart and the muscles,” she said.
The programs Childs and others use are all funded through the county’s HHS levy. She said the services offered at the senior center and through other county programs provide critical support.
“It’s like an open door,” Childs said. “You’re always going to need some kind of help. And I think this center does a lot.”
Issue 26 is one of two staggered eight-year HHS levies that expire four years apart. In 2020, the last levy passed with nearly 70% of the vote.
On Thursday, every voter News 5 talked to at the Board of Elections expressed their support for Issue 26.
“I’m guessing it’s helping people. That’s why I voted yes,” said Bill Frank.
“I just would like the county to have good resources in the future,” Robert Chilton said.
Tamitra Peavy added, “The services that are already in place, we don’t want them to go away.”
Additionally, hundreds of millions in state and federal matching funds require the local funding generated by the levies.
“This is so important to maintain the social services safety net,” said Tarter.
He emphasized the levy is not a tax increase, and homeowners will continue to pay about $9.50 per $100,000 of property value.
The county estimates about 500,000 people and 200,000 families benefited in 2023 from services funded by the HHS levy.
