Five area agencies are hoping voters will give them a cash infusion in November.
Library districts in Stark County and Wadsworth, the Portage County Health District, the Stark County Park District and the Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities have levy requests on the Nov. 6 ballot that seek new money.
Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls:
Portage County Health District
Voters approved a 0.4-mill levy for the health district in 1955 — and have said no ever since.
In spite of 35 previous ballot rejections, officials are back again, asking for a bump in the agency’s $2 million annual budget. By replacing the 0.4-mill levy, whose value has deteriorated, with a new 0.4-mill levy, the district would receive an additional $800,000 a year.
A homeowner currently contributes about $2.21 a year for every $100,000 in market valuation, according to the county auditor. The replacement levy would increase that tax to $12.60 a year.
Kent and Ravenna have their own health departments and would not be affected.
“The need is real if we are to meet state future requirements,” Health Commissioner Duwayne Porter said.
With passage of the levy, the district would add such programs as community wellness clinics, child immunizations, senior citizen services and water testing. It also would be able to increase staff to meet state mandated inspection of everything from schools and restaurants to swimming pools and tattoo parlors.
Wadsworth Public Library
The city’s library is asking for a new 1-mill, five-year levy, which would add $607,500 to the agency’s $2.2 million budget.
The library is trying to make up for some of a 28 percent loss in state support, which it dealt with by cutting library hours, selling two bookmobiles, reducing staff by 33 percent, freezing salaries and reducing material purchases.
If voters approve the levy, hours would be restored and the library would be able to resume its normal purchases of books, music and videos, as well as increase programming.
Without new money, additional cuts “are a given,” spokeswoman Janet Griffing said, and could include the loss of weekend hours, free Internet access for patrons and free use of meeting rooms for nonprofit groups, outreach to schools and day-care centers and free summer reading and other programs.
The levy would cost about $31.50 a year per $100,000 of a home’s appraised value.
Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities
A 1.9-mill replacement levy on the November ballot would give the board an additional $4 million a year to help in its mission of providing job training and education programs along with residential support and transportation for what Superintendent Greg LaForme called the county’s “most vulnerable population.”
When the levy first was passed in 1995, the agency served 469 people, LaForme said. Today, it serves more than 1,000 people a month.
“Due to the loss of stimulus and state funding, the pressure on our budget dollars has increased significantly over the last year,” he said.
Staffing already has been reduced 11 percent since 2009, and three union-represented employee groups have agreed to pay freezes. Meanwhile, the agency worked to grow its volunteer and support staff to 315 people, saving more than $50,000 last year.
While the changes were made “without negatively impacting services,” LaForme said, without new funding, services that could be reduced or cut entirely range from autism and therapy services to residential support and early intervention programs.
In replacing the old levy with one of the same millage, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay about $30 more a year, or a total of $60 a year, according to the Medina County Auditor’s Office.
The Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities “is a good investment for our community,” LaForme said. Levy funds have been leveraged to bring in nearly $61 million more in federal support over the past decade. In addition, the agency directly or indirectly sustains more than 500 jobs.
“Through our job training and employment programs, we have helped individuals with developmental disabilities develop independence so they can earn paychecks, pay taxes and support our local economy,” LaForme said.
Stark County Park District
When Stark County embarked on a plan to grow its park system, voters agreed to a 0.5-mill levy in 1997. At that time, the county had parks in just four of 36 communities, with a total of 100 acres and one mile of trail.
Fifteen years later, the park district manages 7,200 acres of parkland and 80 miles of trails over 26 communities.
The district is asking voters to increase that 0.5-mill levy to a 1-mill levy for the next eight years.
The new money would amount to about $15 a year on each $100,000 of home valuation, and would grow the park district’s $7.1 million budget by $3.1 million a year.
“These additional funds will ensure that we continue to maintain this system and continue the promise to serve all of Stark County,” Director Robert Fonte said.
The district has gone without filling four full-time staff vacancies, a 10 percent decline. Without new money, “the goal of providing recreation access to all residents of Stark County will be put on hold,” Fonte said. That could include suspending new construction projects and instituting fees for park use and events.
Stark County District Library
The county library has made many budget-balancing cuts in recent years, including closing a branch, laying off employees, shortening service hours and reducing material purchases and programming, district officials said.
A levy on the November ballot would help restore some of those losses, including the drive-up window service and the budget for new materials.
Without new money, the district could be forced to close more branches, cut more staff, and stop all new purchases, Director Tena Wilson said.
In a single issue, voters are being asked to renew the district’s 1-mill levy and approve a 0.7-mill new levy to generate an additional $3.3 million a year. The $8 million the combined levies would provide would amount to 53 percent of the library’s $12.7 million budget.
The owner of a home appraised at $100,000 pays about $31 a year for the existing levy, and would see an increase of about $22 a year with the addition of the new tax.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com.