Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Developmental Disabilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County board says 'We are at a crossroads' as developmental-disability services face growing funding shortfall
Summary
The Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities told commissioners its waiver-match obligation nearly doubled since 2020, leaving 78 eligible people waiting and warning that even $10 million a year would not meet projected demand. Presenters urged higher-level conversations with state lawmakers.
Kamarr Gage, presenting for the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities (MCBDDS), told the Board of County Commissioners that the agency is "at a crossroads" after outlining rising demand, staffing losses and a widening funding gap.
Gage walked commissioners through 2024 and 2025 service statistics and finances, saying MCBDDS touched 5,797 individuals last year and that providers billed $129,954,756 while the board leveraged $145,859,911 in federal and state funding. He said the county board’s federal waiver match obligation rose from $13.6 million in 2020 to $24.8 million in 2025. "We are at a crossroads," Gage said, summarizing the presentation’s recurring theme.
The presentation listed concrete impacts: in 2025, 155 people met waiver eligibility but only 85 received waivers; 78 people currently qualify and are waiting. Presenters warned the waiver waiting list could grow by 870% if no new waivers are granted. MCBDDS staff told the commissioners that they reduced expenditures by about $9 million through cost-cutting measures, froze wages, and that full-time staff declined from 236 to 187.
Gage said MCBDDS has asked the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities for 18 state-funded waivers for 2026, continued funding for certain facility waivers and offsetting of Early Intervention costs. He said the board has briefed elected representatives and urged "a higher-level conversation" with legislators and coordination with other counties facing similar shortfalls.
Commissioners Carolyn Rice, Mary A. McDonald and Judy Dodge expressed appreciation for the presentation and agreed that state-level engagement and inter-county coordination may be needed. The presentation warned that, even with $10 million per year in additional funding adjusted for inflation, the board could only sustain modest operations and would be unable to meet projected waiver demand. The presenters and commissioners emphasized that further cuts would likely reduce Early Intervention, housing supports and crisis services for people with developmental disabilities.
The board’s slides and remarks framed the situation as both a fiscal and community-services problem requiring legislative attention and greater transparency with residents about service limits and waiting lists.
