Mahoning County’s Board of Developmental Disabilities is asking voters to approve its first new operating levy in 26 years, but the measure could face a considerable hurdle.

The Mahoning County Auditor’s office also reports that residential property values increased an average of 24% during the county’s latest triennial property update. That will translate to a slight increase in property taxes for many residents, although Auditor Ralph Meacham said the exact amount is still unclear.

MCBDD Superintendent Bill Whitacre says the agency needs additional funding because a 2023 state decision increasing Medicaid waiver reimbursement rates nearly doubled the county’s required local match. The resulting reduction in annual budget carryover could leave the board financially insolvent in as little as two years, Whitacre said.

MCBDD provides early intervention for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities, preschool and school-age education through the Leonard Kirtz School, Service and Support Administration, Medicaid waiver administration, employment and vocational supports, family support services, and community integration and recreation programs,

Mahoning County commissioners on Thursday approved placing the levy on the November ballot, with Commissioner Geno DiFabio stating that it should be left up to the voters. Whitacre said the levy would likely cost the owner of a $100,000 home $84 per year, although that number has not been certified by Meacham’s office. He did not say exactly how much the levy would generate but noted that the Board needs to make up a roughly $6 million to $8 million deficit.

“”We can’t sustain that for long without having to cut services,” Whitacree said. “I can’t make enough cuts to make up this deficit.”

MCBDD has not requested new money since 2000, but Whitacre said the state’s demand for local Medicaid waiver reimbursement increased by 38% in 2023. That means Mahoning County’s required local match increased from about $9 million to nearly $17 million annually.

Whitacre said the cost of providing all MCBDD’s services has increased from roughly $60 million annually to nearly $100 million.

He said MCBDD deficit-spent $5.8 million last year and is projecting more than a $6 million deficit this year. Without new revenue, the agency could require tax advances from Meacham’s office by 2028-29 and eventually be forced to reduce services.

Those services, Whitacre noted, support nearly 1,000 local jobs.

At the same time, homeowners should brace for higher property valuations, although Meacham stressed that higher values do not automatically mean equivalent tax increases.

Property tax reform has dominated state and local political discourse since the 2023 revaluation process that saw Mahoning County properties increase by an average of 38% with a corresponding 7% average increase in property taxes.

Meacham told commissioners on Thursday that this year’s revaluation, certified last Friday, brings an average residential increase of 24%. He said the lowest increase, in a tax district in Austintown, is 13% while the highest is 35% in a tax district along Lake Milton.

Commercial properties saw an approximate increase of 20% and industrial approximately 18%.

Meacham repeatedly emphasized that valuations are working as intended.

“The problem we have is not with our values. The problem we have is with tax policy,” he said. “I looked at my own, and I’m not happy.”

Commissioners shared Meacham’s assessment and expressed their own exasperation with the lack of state support.

“Not only are they paying property taxes, look at the increases in utilities, homeowners insurance, repairs, gas, electric, automobile insurance, food prices,” said Commissioner Anthony Traficanti. “At some point, you know, you tax people out of their homes and then throw the utilities on top of it. I mean, at some point this has got to come to an end. In some fashion, Columbus has to address this issue. People can’t afford it. Wages aren’t keeping up with the inflation.”