The majority of Ohio counties have levies restricted to specific uses, typically put on the ballot by agencies that provide social services.
Montgomery County is among only a few counties that have combined human services levies. A staggered levy model was proposed to the public decades ago as a method of supporting multiple agencies that provide social services to residents through one funding pool.
Both levies — Levy A and Levy B — span eight years. Levy A was on the ballot in 2021, passing with nearly 75% of the vote.
Levy B, which will be on the ballot this November, saw its last renewal in 2017.
The Montgomery County commission in April approved a renewal for the levy, following the recommendation of the Human Services Levy Council.
Homeowners currently pay $114 for every $100,000 of property value for this levy, according to the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office.
Agencies like Montgomery County Children Services, Montgomery County Developmental Disabilities Services, Montgomery County Alcohol Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services, Older Adult Services and Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County all receive Human Services Levy dollars.
In fact, some of these agencies see more than half of their total budgets come from the Human Services Levy. And according to Montgomery County Human Services, nearly half of levy-funded services in 2023 were located in the county’s core — Dayton.
The 51% of services touching Dayton is influenced in part by Montgomery County Children Services, as children in its care are typically connected to the agency’s Dayton location. The other 49% of services were spread across suburban Montgomery County.
The two human service levies generate a combined $138 million and leverage another $212 million in additional funds to the county, according to county officials.
Other nonprofits and government agencies are also funded through the combined levy dollars. Stillwater Center, an intermediate care facility located in the Clayton area, receives a few million dollars in levy funds annually.
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