Older adults and caregivers in Warren and Clinton counties will continue to have access to their county’s Elderly Services Programs (ESP) thanks to the overwhelming support of area voters on Nov. 2.
In Warren County 78 percent of voters approved Issue 2, the county’s senior services tax levy. This approval rating is a record for senior service levies in Council on Aging’s service area. The levy provides 88 percent of funding for the county’s Elderly Services Program, which helps some 4,200 older adults receive care in their homes, instead of in a nursing home. The levy was a renewal of the existing 1.21 mill levy. It costs homeowners $29.93 annually per $100,000 in home valuation. That’s about $2.50 per month.
In Clinton County, 60 percent of voters approved an increase to the county’s senior services tax levy. The levy provides 82 percent of funding for the county’s Elderly Services Program. The 2.35 mill levy (renewal of existing 1.5 mill levy and an increase of .85 mills) will cost homeowners $64.28 per $100,000 of property value annually – an increase of $26.61 per year – or about $2 per month. Voters had not been asked to approve an increase in the levy since 2008. The increase was needed because revenue generated by the levy had been on the decline. Despite serving 34 percent more clients in 2019 than it did in 2008, the levy generated 6 percent less revenue over the same period. After another year of double-digit growth in ESP (11 percent in 2020), the program had reached the tipping point. As a result, Clinton County Commissioners decided to place the levy on the November 2021 ballot – a year earlier than planned.
“Voters recognize the important role these levies play in making their communities great places to live for people of all ages, and we appreciate their continued support,” said Ken Wilson, vice president of program and business operations at Council on Aging. “Senior services levies benefit everyone. They enable family caregivers to continue working, which is good for families, businesses and our economy.”
Council on Aging administers senior services tax levies in Butler, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren counties under contracts with commissioners in those counties.