“In my view it creates another level of bureaucracy and more opportunity for political maneuvering and interference,” Furmon said.
He said letting a board divvy up levy funds “would question the intelligence of the voters” and “takes away voters’ opportunity to voice their approval or preference.”
Commission President Donald Dixon proposed the idea, advocating combining levies for developmental disabilities, children services, senior issues and mental health into one. This comes as a 2-mill senior levy possibly comes up for a vote next year after collecting more money than intended.
Dixon argued Thursday that it “deserves discussion,” saying it could streamline levy-funded agencies and keep the number of levy requests to a minimum.
“(It) provides for smaller government, it gives more buying power for taxpayers’ dollars,” he said.
This gives Commissioner Gregory Jolivette the tie-breaking vote on the issue, and he said he’s on the fence.
After the meeting, Jolivette said he supports Dixon’s idea of creating a board to review levy requests, but he’s reticent to combine social services levies into one.
“I think voters should be able to pick and choose which organizations they want to support,” Jolivette said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or jsweigart@coxohio.com.
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