Requesting another rollback
Easing the tax-payer burden thanks to diligent budgeting
As a result of our stable financial position and our diligence over the past several years in keeping a balanced budget, the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities is ending this year with a strong carry-over balance. We, therefore, have requested for the second year in a row to temporarily roll back .5 mills of our 2.0 mills continuing levy which was passed in 2000.
The reduction will continue to save homeowners across the county an average of $17.50 annually per home valued at $100,000 and will again reduce the amount collected by the Board in 2022 by $3.6 million.
Our agency has grown substantially in the number of people with developmental disabilities for whom we coordinate and provide services. Those services are our utmost priority. At the same time, we recognize the importance of keeping a balanced budget while striving to be good stewards of tax dollars.
Even as we have continued to increase the quality and quantity of available services for people in Butler County, our carryover balance has grown. Over the last two years, some of that growth is attributed to enhanced federal dollars received due to the ongoing pandemic. We are so appreciative of the support of the Butler County taxpayers for our levy, and we have no desire to tax them beyond our need. This will be a year-to-year decision that is made based upon our budget projections, service needs, and carryover balance.
Our first priority is to those we serve. This reduction will have no impact on any of the services and supports we provide.
Looking over the past several years, we can identify several key points where cost savings were found including the closure of our adult day center (per directives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) as well as a reduction in staff. In 2015, we employed 196 full-time equivalents, and this year we budgeted for 139.5 full-time equivalents. The reduction of staff overtime has saved money on our personnel and benefit line items. We also consolidated our employees from five office locations into two in 2017 resulting in savings in facility operations and in 2021, we further consolidated into one building – the Janet Clemmons Center.
Simply put, this temporary change is a result of our current financial position. This will have absolutely no impact on the funds available to provide supports. Whenever it is determined that our budget requires that additional millage, the roll-back will be reversed.