Cuyahoga voters asked to OK levy with increase

Cuyahoga County voters on March 17will decide the fate of a Health and Human Services levy.

Cuyahoga County voters on March 17 will decide whether to approve the replacement of the current 3.9-mill Health and Human Services levy with an eightyear, 4.7-mill levy.

The 0.8-mill increase would cost taxpayers an additional $41.58 per $100,000 property valuation, according to Cuyahoga County Council records. The increase is expected to generate an additional $35 million annually.

According to the Vote for 33 Issue campaign, the need for health and human services is growing.

“Deep, long-term poverty, the opioid crisis, and an aging population are making health and human services more necessary,” the campaign states on its website.

Cleveland is the secondpoorest major city in the country and the poverty rate is a third higher than it was during the Great Recession,

the campaign stated. Opioid-related deaths in Cuyahoga are 2 ½ times higher than the national average and there now more county residents over the age of 60 than there are under the age of 20.

“Cuyahoga County residents are more likely to need support, and more likely to need increased support, than ever before,” the campaign stated. “As these profound needs have grown, the state and federal governments have been withdrawing and limiting their support. That isn’t likely to change anytime soon.”

According to the campaign, 49 percent of the money raised by the levy would be used for infants and children; 22 percent for mental health and addiction; 14 percent for general health and human services; 9 percent for public safety; 6 percent aid to elders.

“Passing Issue 33 will ensure current critical services continue and will fund investment in targeted, interconnected areas that will amplify the impact of our health and human services efforts, help reduce longterm needs and costs, and provide us with measurable, accountable results,” the campaign stated.

The current 3.9-mill levy is one of two health and human service levies in Cuyahoga County. The other, a 4.8-mill levy, was renewed by voters in 2016 and runs through 2024. The two levies currently generate about $240 million annually, according to Cuyahoga County Council records.