Delaware County commissioners advance 2.0‑mill renewal plus 0.7‑mill increase for developmental‑disabilities services

Christine Hodge, superintendent of the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, told the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 18 that rising caseloads and Medicaid match obligations require asking voters to renew a 2.0‑mill levy and approve an additional 0.7 mills. "Our mission is to inspire, empower, and support people to achieve their full potential," Hodge said during a prepared presentation.

Hodge said the county board serves 2,329 people who are eligible for services and that roughly 72% of the board’s revenue comes from local levies. She described how Medicaid waiver funding requires local levy dollars to cover the state match and said about 77 cents of every levy dollar goes to the waiver match that then leverages state and federal funds for services. Hodge presented per‑person cost estimates used in budget planning: about $33,000 a year to serve a child and about $109,000 a year to serve an adult, and said transitions from childhood to adulthood will increase county costs over the coming five years.

Hodge said the board’s levy proposal is structured as a single ballot measure: a 2.0‑mill renewal plus a 0.7‑mill increase. She said the combined change would raise the levy cost per $100,000 of home value from about $44.27 to about $68.77 — an increase of roughly $24.50 per $100,000. For example, she and commissioners said that would be roughly a $100 annual increase on a home valued at $400,000 (approximate). Hodge said existing continuous levies (a separate 0.4‑mill levy enacted in 2018) remain in place.

Commissioners asked about fiscal projections and the structure of the levy. Commissioner comments were supportive: one commissioner thanked Hodge and her team for analysis and said protecting the rollback and ensuring adequacy were priorities. The board unanimously approved Resolution 25‑1084, a resolution of necessity directing the levy process to move forward.

The measure will still require formal placement on the ballot and voter approval before any tax change takes effect. The resolution advances the administrative steps needed for that process.