YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities is looking for more funding stability.

On Thursday, Mahoning County commissioners approved a measure to place one of MCBDD’s two operating levies on November’s ballot for renewal.

Board Superintendent Bill Whitacre said his agency is asking voters to make the levy permanent.

“It’s on a five-year term and you have to have the voters approve it every five years, so we’re asking them to make it a continuing levy so it just stays on the books,” he said.

The 3-mill levy, originally passed in 2001, generates more than $12.6 million a year for the board’s operations, in addition to a 2-mill levy passed in the early 1990s that generates about $5.9 million per year. The 2-mill levy is due for renewal next year.

Whitacre said the funding from this year’s levy is largely used to support the board’s share of the cost of Medicaid home and community-based services waivers.

“We have 970 individuals on those, and it provides a multitude of services,” Whitacre said. “Our waiver match is directly related to maintaining services for people with disabilities.”

The waivers allow for home modification, home care, equipment, and other needs for

people who would otherwise be in nursing facilities or other institutions.

“Our waiver match is close to $15 million per year but that provides close to $100 million in funding for those services. That also helps operate our schools and early intervention programs,” Whitacre said..

He said the state budget — which Gov. Mike DeWine planned to sign into law on Monday — does administer some minor cuts for early intervention programs, “but nothing that will have a major impact on our services and programs.”

Cuts at the federal level remain to be seen, he said, but he is not worried about his agency’s operations as long as the levies are renewed.

“There are some federal funding cuts that may affect people with disabilities directly but nothing that would affect county boards of DD,” he said.