Former trustee urges voters to renew, increase Butler County senior services levy

Christine Matysik, a retired Liberty Township trustee and former member of the Butler County Elderly Services Advisory Council, told the Fairfield Township Board of Trustees on Oct. 14 that Butler County's Elderly Services Program (ESP) is operating at capacity and needs voter support.

Matysik said the program is funded primarily by a county senior services levy and that, in Fairfield Township, ESP currently serves 196 residents while serving more than 4,000 people countywide. "Butler County ESP is funded by the taxpayers of Butler County, through the elderly services levy," she said, noting the program maintains a waiting list.

Matysik said the levy on the November ballot would renew an existing 1.3-mil levy and add a 0.7-mil increase. She told trustees the levy appears on the ballot as Issue 1 and that Butler County's auditor's website can be used to estimate the tax impact on individual properties. Using her own property as an example, she said the increase would add roughly $63 to $64 a year for her household; she described the measure as "cheap insurance" to help keep seniors in their homes.

Why this matters: Matysik framed ESP as a cost-effective alternative to institutional long-term care. She told trustees that providing in-home supports typically averages about $425 a month per client, and that avoiding nursing-home placements can reduce pressure on Medicaid and county services.

Matysik also gave trustees some program context: she said more than 80% of ESP's funding comes from the Butler County senior services tax levy, that the levy was first approved in 1996, and that the program last renewed its levy in 2020. She said eligibility for ESP begins at age 60 and is contingent on functional needs.

Board members and staff asked procedural questions about campaign materials, how the county commissioners had reviewed and approved placing the issue on the ballot, and whether the one-year homestead exemption the commissioners enacted for tax year 2025 would affect the levy. Matysik said the county commissioners supported placing the renewal-plus-increase before voters and advised residents to use county resources for specific tax-exemption questions.

Matysik left flyers and contact phone numbers for residents who do not use the internet, and trustees agreed materials could be kept in the township office for public pickup.

Ending: The board took no formal action on Matysik's presentation at the meeting beyond accepting the information and leaving printed materials in the township office; the levy will be decided by voters in the November election.