LISBON — Columbiana County voters are being asked to continue supporting the abused, neglected and dependent children in the care of Children Services by renewing the .75-mill, five-year levy on the May 6 ballot.

“Not one dime of this levy goes toward employee salaries and benefits. One hundred percent of this money goes to the children,” county Department of Job and Family Services Director Rachel Ketterman said during a recent interview.

The levy for Children Services was first passed in 2000 and has been renewed every five years since then, with the majority of the funding used to pay the room and board for children in the agency’s temporary custody and those in permanent custody who are up for adoption.

If renewed, the levy is expected to generate $1,283,600 per year, as it has been doing. For the owner of a home valued at $100,000, that equates to a cost of $13.21 per year, which the homeowner is already paying. This is not a new tax, but the same tax homeowners have been paying the past 25 years.

The proceeds for the levy covered less than half of the actual cost for room and board for kids in the agency’s care, with the cost in 2024 totaling $3,558,294 for 120 kids, with 65 in care for less than 12 months. Two of those kids were in a facility in Arkansas with Aetna paying the cost. As of Dec. 31, 2024, 60 kids were in the agency’s care. The highest per diem the agency is paying totals $756 per day for the room and board for a 10-year-old being housed in a facility in Toledo.

According to Ketterman, the two kids who were in Arkansas are now back in Ohio, with one in a residential treatment center and one in a group home.

She explained that when kids come into the agency’s custody, their 4E eligibility is checked to determine whether they qualify for a federal reimbursement. More and more kids aren’t eligible for that reimbursement, which goes according to guidelines from 1996.

As less and less kids are eligible, local or state money has to pick up the difference.

She used an example of a cost of $475 per day for one kid for just room and board. In one year, that’s more than $170,000.

The cost for 2023 was $3,548,280 for 128 kids, with 86 in custody less than 12 months. As of Dec. 31, 2023, there were 85 kids in custody. The highest per diem was $596 per day for a 14-year-old.

In 2022, the cost was $2,864,821 for 106 kids, with 87 in custody for less than 12 months. As of Dec. 31, 2022, there were 79 children in custody. The highest per diem then was $503 per day for a 12-year-old.

Not all children served are in custody, with some placed with relatives or someone with whom they have a familial relationship, such as a neighbor, friend of the family, church member or teacher.

“Drugs and mental health are leading causes for us to have kids that are abused and neglected,” Ketterman said.

Also, there could be parental and mental health concerns, coupled with a child’s behavior. The child may not be abused or neglected, it could be a matter of the parent not being able to care for the child.

As of Jan. 1 this year, Children Services was serving 341 children, covering everything from investigations to kids placed with family members or familial kinships.

Ketterman said agency personnel do their due diligence in finding kinship placements for children. They do independent home studies before placing a child in a home, along with background checks and fingerprinting and home visits. The idea is to find a place where a child can safely sleep. Children ages birth to 18 years old are served.

The agency also provides birthday and Christmas gifts for children in custody or in a kinship situation or foster care.

“I think it takes a county to raise our children. Life throws us challenges every day. Many of those challenges aren’t the fault of any child and if we can provide them with normalcy, that can only lead to a more successful life,” Ketterman said.

On any given day, she said they’re serving 300 to 450 children. State and federal funds cover room and board costs not covered by the levy. She didn’t know at this point how any federal funds may be affected by the new administration in Washington.

She’s just thankful that voters have continued to vote in favor of the levy.

“I thank the community for the continued support,” Ketterman said.

mgreier@mojonews.com