• R2019-0252 is a resolution that declares the necessity
for the HHS Levy and asks the fiscal officer to certify
the current tax valuation of the County and the
amount that would be collected from the proposed
Levy
• R2019-0253 is a resolution that determines to
proceed with submitting to the electors the ballot
levy question
• Both resolutions are required by the Ohio Revised
Code

1

 • R2019-0253 would ask the voters to approve the
following on the March 17, 2020 Ballot:

“The Replacement of the 3.9 mills Health &
Human Services Levy and an increase of 0.8
mill”

2

 Cuyahoga County currently has two
Health & Human Services Levies
(4.8 mill and a 3.9 mill)
• The 3.9 mill levy is the smaller of the two Health & Human
Services Levies
• The current 3.9 mill levy generates $104M per year
– The other levy, which is 4.8 mills generates $140M and expires
in 2024

• The 3.9 mill Levy was last approved in May of 2018
• The proposed replacement and increase of the 3.9 mill levy
will extend the levy for eight years with collections starting
in January of 2021
• Extending the levy for eight years allows the County to save
money on election costs and allows for long term planning
3

 Levy funding is critical
• Overall funding we receive from federal and
state governments is insufficient to meet the
needs of our most vulnerable residents
• Several of the federal grants we receive such
as Child Support, Child Welfare, Medicaid and
SNAP require a local match
• The General fund is insufficient to cover the
required local match or many of the other
state mandates
4

 The Health & Human Services Levies
fund critical programs and services for
those in need

• Ensure children are safe from abuse and
neglect
• Elderly are supported in their homes
• Health Care is accessible
• Families in poverty are linked to Public
Assistance programs
• People with mental illness and addictions
receive the services they require

5

 Health & Human Service Programs and
Services funded by the Levy include
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Protective Services for Children and Seniors
Youth Development
Early Childhood (specifically UPK)
Public Assistance (including Child Care, Medicaid, SNAP, TANF)
Workforce
Child Support
Fatherhood
Health Care services (including Metro Life Flight, Trauma, Critical
Care, Burn Unit)
Alcohol and Other Drugs
Mental Health
Homeless Services
Re-Entry Services
6

 Health and Human Services Levies are Investments
(Investments that Lead to Lower Costs in the Future)
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•
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Permanent Supportive Housing (significantly reduced
the overall number of chronically homeless)
UPK (studies show early education is crucial to
breaking the cycle of poverty)
Say Yes to Education (is addressing the needs of CMSD
students from the earliest ages through high school
and provides college tuition for CMSD graduates)
Infant Mortality (is decreasing the county’s infant
mortality rates and overall improvement in birth
outcomes)
Youth Workforce Initiatives (include internships for
young people that result in clear, productive career
paths for young adult residents)
7

 •

Despite our efforts, the need for services
exceeds our ability to provide them

Cleveland is the second poorest city in the country, in Cuyahoga County
specifically:
•
Poverty is 15% higher than during the Great Recession
•
Poverty is 34% higher than the National Poverty Level
•
61% of people living in poverty are either old or very young
•
Residents face significant health challenges
•
Residents 30 years old and younger are nearly three times as likely than the
rest of us to be uninsured
•
Significant portion of our residents remain hungry
•
Cuyahoga County has become an unsafe place to be born, particularly
African-American babies
•
The rate of drug induced deaths is more than twice the national average
•
In the last three years, the number of children in county custody has grown
by 63%
•
One out of seven residents between ages of 16 and 24 are neither working
nor in school
•
More of our residents are now over the age of 60 than under the age of 20

8

 The 3.9 mill Health & Human Services
Levy
• Currently generates approximately $104M on an
annual basis
• Replacement ($11M) and increase ($24M) will
generate and additional $35M in revenue per
year
• The replacement portion is included in the
Executive’s 2020-2021 recommended budget for:
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8 divisions of the Dept. of Health & Human Services
MetroHealth
ADAMHS Board
Juvenile Court
Public Safety

9

 The proposed uses of the additional
revenue include:
•

Services for Infants & Children such as Kinship Care
and UPK

•

Mental Health & Addiction services such as
behavioral health, diversion, and crisis and
residential services

•

Public Safety services such as the Wellness ReEntry Assistance Program, Permanent Supportive
Housing and Re-Entry Services

•

Aid to the Elderly such as the Options program,
Congregate Meals and Transportation

10

 •

•

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•

•

The Proposed Allocation of the $35M

$5.1M for the ADAMHS Board to serve those who cannot be served with the
opioid settlement funds. This includes areas of crisis and residential assistance.
ADAMHS will serve 1,000 more people, reduce assessment wait times and restore
funding to previous year’s levels prior to state cuts. (40.8 million over 8 years)
$2M for the Department of Senior and Adult Services to eliminate waiting lists and
serve additional seniors through the Options program, providing meals, hiring
additional Family Service Aides, Geriatric Assessment Specialists and expand senior
transportation (16 million over 8 years)
$725k for Family & Children First Council to implement crisis coordination,
increase out of school program in additional neighborhoods and increase our
Families and Schools Together (FAST) program. (5.2 million over 8 years)
$5M for Invest in Children to maintain the expansion our Universal PreKindergarten program and the number of slots available for children (40 million
over 8 years)
$6M for the Department of Children and Family Services to implement a Kinship
Care program with extended family members. Kinship Care is the most desirable of
out-of-home placement options offering the greatest level of stability, allowing
children to maintain their sense of belonging and enhance the child’s ability to
identify with family culture and traditions. (48 million over 8 years)
$1M for the Department of Job and Family Services to hire additional caseworkers
to further reduce wait time for those seeking Public Assistance benefits. Our
analysis of call center wait times and FTE staffing tells us that we need people to
facilitate the application process for people who need SNAP and Medicaid. (8
million over 8 years)
*All subject to Executive and Council Approval
11

 •

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The Proposed Allocation of the $35M
(continued)

$2.5M for the Diversion Center; to offer mental health screening, assessment and
rapid referral to divert people from jail and in to community-based services. The
goal is twofold: treatment for individuals and decrease in the jail population and
recidivism. (20 million over 8 years)
$2.175M for Housing Stability Services for families, young adults and single adults
moving from emergency shelter and homelessness in to permanent housing.
Essentially, these services include supported employment and focused
interventions to assure these vulnerable families and adults remain stably housed.
(17.4 million over 8 years)
$250k for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center to restore lost federal VOCA funding;
although this was included in 2020 budget as gap funding, council and the
executive may consider a procurement process to assure these services continue
to be funded. (2 million over 8 years)
$250k for the Cleveland Adoption Network to restore lost federal VOCA funding;
although this was included in 2020 budget as gap funding, council and the
executive may consider a procurement process to assure these services are
funded. (2 million over 8 years)
$5M to HHS Agencies for inflation or year over year HHS Levy expenses (180
million over 8 years)
$5M for HHS expenses currently subsidized by the County’s General Fund (40
million over 8 years)
*All subject to Executive and Council Approval

12

 The cost of the replacement and .8 mill
increase to the average homeowner
• $41.58 more per year based on a home valued
at $100k
• The Total Cost of the 4.7 mill Health and
Human Services Levy will be $164.50 to the
average homeowner again, based on a home
valued at $100k

13

 Cuyahoga County and the Dept. of Health and
Human Services Remain Accountable
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All of our contracts in a searchable database on the county website
All of our meetings are streamed and archived on the county website
We have both an Inspector General and Dept. of Internal Audit

The Dept. of Health and Human Services has:
•
Probably the best division for Contract Administration and Performance
in the county
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We have our own division of Performance, Evaluation and Innovation
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We monitor all contracts and report on performance outcomes
•
We are audited by the State Auditor’s Office and our programs are
monitored by the federal government each year
As an additional accountability measure, the County will be working with
the Center of Community Solutions to create performance measures and
baselines to track existing levy dollars but more importantly the additional
funding the new levy will generate
14

 Summary
• The 3.9 mill levy is the smaller of the two health &
human services levies
• This levy currently generates approximately $104M
annually
• The proposed levy, if approved by the voters will
generate an additional $35M annually.
• If approved, the replacement and the increase will total
4.7 mills and generate $139M annually
• We are requesting County Council place the 3.9 mills
replacement and an increase of 0.8 mill increase to the
Health & Human Services Levy on the March 17, 2020
primary ballot
15