Lorain County Children Services asks for funding

Lorain County Children Services is looking to generate more revenue for abused and neglected children because of reductions made in the past years.

Voters will see a 1.5-mill renewal with a .3-mill increase levy for five years on the Nov. 4 ballot.

According to Scott Ferris, executive director of Lorain County Children Services, the levy will allow it to maintain the current level of services and provide a share to the Bureau for Children with Medical Handicaps.

The increase will cost a homeowner with a $100,000 value home, $56.52 a year, Ferris said.

“The levy is 51 percent of our operating budget, which obviously without the levy, it is that crucial to us,” he said. “Without that, we couldn’t do what we do. The levy will continue to provide vital services to the families we serve.”

The agency responds to 4,100 referrals annually, which is up from 3,800 when the last levy was approved,

“The levy will continue to provide vital services to the families we serve ”

Scott Ferris, LCCS

Ferris said.

There have been reductions across the board since 2009, including a $2.7 million decrease in their budget to support services for maltreated children, Ferris said.

From 2009 to 2013, there has been a 23 percent decline in federal revenue, 17 percent decline in state revenue and an eight percent decline in local levy generated revenue, according to figures provided by Children Services.

This issue will generate $10.7 million annually, compared to the current $8.9 million, according to figures.

The revenue from this issue will come to Children Services starting 2016 because it wanted to get a head start on asking the public, Ferris said.

“We’re not asking the local taxpayers to replace everything we’ve lost, but kind of what we need to continue to meet the need of serving those number of referrals through 2020,” he said.