Renewal, increase for senior services levy on ballot

Delaware County residents will see a tax increase request on the May 8 ballot to help fund the county’s growing demand for senior services.

SourcePoint’s current five-year, 1.2-mill levy expires at the end of this year.

The agency will seek a renewal with a 0.1- mill increase, about an additional $ 3.50 annually for each $ 100,000 in property value. Homeowners currently pay about $ 32 per $ 100,000 for the levy that generates about $ 8.4 million annually.

If approved, the replacement will take in about $9.3 million a year.

Leaders hope to extend what has been a string of seven previous successful ballot issues that have helped fund everything from Meals on Wheels programs to a popular recreation facility and in-home care.

Monday morning, Delaware County commissioners unanimously approved a certificate of necessity that will be sent to the county auditor for review.

The additional millage is needed to maintain services for a rapidly growing senior population dating to the nonprofit group’s inception in 1992.

“We took that dream and made it into a plan. And the community gave us the resources to implement that plan,” said Bob Horrocks, SourcePoint executive director.

“We have developed the kinds of services that our older population needs.”

The increase is driven solely by population growth, the fastest coming from those 85 and older, he said.

There were about 37,000 people 55 and older in 2010 in Delaware County, double that of 2000, according to census data. By 2020, there will be almost 59,000 seniors.

The levy makes up about 80 percent of SourcePoint funding, with corporate and private donations, sponsorships, grants and funding from the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging making up the rest.

Commissioner Jeff Benton, a retired banker, said he wrestled with the increase and balanced replacement with a renewal.

“Nobody likes taxes. Nobody wants to increase them,” Benton said.