By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board is considering putting a levy on the ballot in 2027, a year earlier than its current levy’s scheduled renewal, as officials look for ways to address projected declines in available funds.
WCADAMHS Executive Director Amanda Kern discussed three potential options at its September meeting: renewing the existing levy as-is, renewing it with an increase, or seeking new tax revenue through a new-money levy.
No decision was made at the meeting. Instead, the board was asked to consider the options with tentative plans to decide in the next month or two whether to pursue a levy in 2027 and, if so, which type.
The discussion comes as the board projects its available fund balance will fall from about $1.8 million at the end of the current fiscal year to roughly $400,000 by the end of fiscal year 2028 if current spending continues. Kern said the organization has already made reductions and expects another reduction at the end of the current fiscal year.
“We are not able to maintain the system that we are currently running,” she told board members, noting that reductions have been made each year.
Having the levy discussion now would allow time to plan for a possible 2027 campaign. Although the existing levy is not scheduled for renewal until 2028, placing a levy on the ballot in 2027 could allow the board to begin collecting revenue sooner and help address the projected $1 million funding gap in fiscal year 2029.
Under a direct renewal, the board would continue the existing levy. A renewal with an increase would retain the current levy while requesting additional millage. A new-money levy would generate entirely new tax revenue based on current property values.
The Wood County auditor’s office has recommended a renewal with an increase, according to Kaylee Smith, WCADAMHS manager of marketing and communications. The renewal with an increase option was recommended because the tax burden is divided between homeowners and public utility companies.
A new-money levy would affect taxpayers differently. Kern said the full responsibility for that levy would fall on homeowners rather than being shared with public utilities. The auditor estimated that one mill of new levy revenue could generate between $5.5 million and $5.7 million.
The board heard about a potential year in which three levies could generate revenue simultaneously. The board could choose to allow that collection, reduce the millage on the existing levy or adopt a resolution not to collect some of the remaining millage.
The board currently receives about $3.9 million from the 2018 levy and about $4.6 million from the 2024 levy, or roughly $9 million annually from the two levies.
Kern emphasized that the levy discussion remains preliminary. The board would need to determine the type of levy it wants to pursue and begin organizing a steering committee if it decides to move forward.
A larger campaign also would require more involvement from board members, providers and community partners. Unlike the board’s previous levy campaign, an effort seeking an increase or new money would require a broader public education campaign about the cost and purpose of the levy.
The board was expected to continue discussing the options in the coming months, with staff seeking direction on whether to pursue a levy and, if so, which type.
Board ends Transition to Independence housing funding
Funding issues were at the heart of a board’s fiscally necessary but emotionally difficult decision to notify Harbor that funds for the Transition to Independence Process (TIP) housing would be eliminated after November.
The TIP house provides transitional services for up to five 18- to 24-year-olds at a time who have emotional and/or behavioral difficulties. Through support groups, a residential program and intensive case management services, the individuals prepare for community life through employment and career services, educational opportunities, life skills, and personal well-being.
“They knew that we weren’t funding (the program) whenever we did the allocations process in May,” Kern said, but in the meantime, WCADAMHS and Harbor had worked tirelessly looking for alternatives to shuttering the program.
“We were working with alternative funding sources, looking for housing opportunities, they reduced their (number of) houses, they have been looking at different staffing models, trying to figure out how they could sustain TIP as long as possible with the funding we gave them,” Kern said.
None of the community partners had available funds for the project, she said. And HUD funding requirements conflicted with Ohio Department of Behavioral Health’s, preventing the county board from providing funds.
“Our biggest point of concern right now is that we would have five individuals that have been traditionally harder to home, maybe not have income, may not have a history of employment, may not have a lot of independent personal skills,” Kern said. “How can we best provide support to these individuals, if we can at all?”
She offered a potential solution for the board to consider using WCADAMHS community support funds that could be managed internally to help cover expenses such as security deposits/ first-month rent or whatever they need to get stable and set into their next place of residency.
One of the resolutions the board unanimously approved was a System of Care budget adjustment that could provide limited funds to support the individuals.
The resolution created a community stabilization fund to fill the gap after the state changed its funding sources from line budgets to six separate “buckets” of funding. With those changes, two System of Care line-item funds—Access to Wellness Funds and Crisis Flex Funds—were no longer funded.
“Even though that line and specific program with the state isn’t in its previous versions, we wanted to build a community stabilization fund and mirror it off of the state’s process internally so that we keep levy dollars set aside for individuals who need things to help stabilize their specific situations,” she said. “Our partners at any of the provider agencies can reach out and access those,” as long as they are providing clinical support to the individuals.
