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County developmental‑disability boards urge removal of language empowering budget commissions to cut voter‑approved levies
Summary
The Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities told the Senate Finance Committee proposed language giving county budget commissions broad authority to reduce millage on voted levies threatens long‑term services and should be removed or amended to exempt entities that must pay Medicaid match obligations.
The Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities (OACB) told the Senate Finance Committee that new language in the substitute budget (sections cited in testimony as 5,705.32‑35) would give county budget commissions vague and broad authority to reduce millage on voter‑approved levies. OACB's witness said the provision could jeopardize taxpayer‑approved reserves and non‑expendable trust funds that county boards rely on to provide lifelong services to about 107,000 individuals with developmental disabilities in Ohio.
Adam Herman, testifying for OACB, asked that the provision be removed entirely or, at minimum, that a compromise amendment be adopted to exempt local entities that are statutorily required to pay part or all of the state's Medicaid match obligation from any new authority. He provided draft amendment numbers (testimony referenced SC 2,924 to remove the language and an alternative amendment 3,079‑1 to exempt county boards) and argued county boards already fund roughly half of the state's Medicaid match for waiver services; arbitrary limits on the local revenue they can use could force service cuts or shift costs to the state.
Why it matters: County boards oversee lifetime supports and rely on voter‑approved levies and reserve accounts to meet long‑term obligations; OACB said the substitution in the budget was added without input from affected stakeholders and could destabilize the local match that supports Medicaid services.
Ending: OACB asked senators to remove the provision or adopt the exemption amendment to protect county DD funding and allow time for stakeholder input and legislative deliberation.
