Franklin County Children Services asks voters for slight tax increase

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Voters are being asked to renew Franklin County Children Services' existing levy, which includes a slight property tax increase.

After incidents like the death of Darnell Taylor, who was in the agency's care before the 5-year-old was killed by his legal custodian Pammy Maye, the agency's spokesperson, Scott Varner, said it did impact the decision to ask for a tax increase.

“Any time that there is a child death, especially a child that is somehow in our care and protection, our team takes that pretty seriously emotionally impacted by it,” Varner said. “So, with the levy, one of the new initiatives that we would invest in is putting about $1,000,000 more each year back into our neighborhoods, back into community-based prevention providers.”

The renewal is more than a third of the agency’s total funding. The levy would also have an increase of $1.75 per month for every $100,000 of a home's value.

“Without voter approval, we would lose millions of dollars in funding,” Varner said. “So, we're asking voters to approve this levy. Together, they represent about 72% of our funding. So, that's a good chunk of the funding, which is all used in how we as a community keep children safer, make families stronger for longer.”

Last year, 26,000 calls were made to the Franklin County Child Abuse Hotline. Over the past three years, the agency has seen its cost of care go up by 26%. Speaking on behalf of Committee For Children, Brian Rothenberg feels the levy is the right path forward to making children's lives better.

“It's really the price of the candy bar,” Rothenberg said. “So, while we understand that that's a sacrifice, nobody takes that for granted, renewing this levy and taking care of our families is the best thing we can do for Franklin County.”

This is the first tax increase children services has asked for in 20 years.