Article

Cuyahoga County HHS levy process enters new phase

Community Solutions Team
Transforming data into progress
Additional Contributors
No items found.
August 21, 2020
Read time:
Download Fact Sheets
Register now
Share this resource
Subscribe to our Newsletter
By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Download this as a PDF

This past spring, Cuyahoga County voters passed an increase as a part of a replacement health and human services levy, otherwise known as Issue 33. Approved with more than 70 percent of the vote, it was a statement by county voters on the high value they place on health and human services. With the approval, the county levy will bring an estimated additional $35 million into the Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services Levy fund. When combined with the other HHS levy, the two levies will bring in an estimated $279 million annually.

Now that the levy has passed, the new revenue will now start to come into the county beginning January 2021. The county will now begin a new phase in the health and human services funding process, where the county executive and County Council will deliberate on how to spend the new dollars in 2021. The decisions that will be made in November and December of this year, will be in place for all of 2021. The 2022-2023 county budget process begins in fall of 2021. It is important to understand this timeline and the implications of the fiscal decisions that will be made in the coming months, so that citizens and advocates may raise awareness of important issues that may need more support.

Issues such as food insecurity, rental assistance, and other HHS needs have taken on a new urgency.

During the Issue 33 campaign, Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish faced pointed questions from news media and the public about what the county would do with the additional dollars, should the levy pass. The county had faced a number of high-profile incidents that showed that the Department of Health and Human Services needed additional resources. In addition, the HHS levy fund was facing a future multi-million deficit, because of increases in costs in foster care and aging among other issues.

Budish only speculated on what issues he would prioritize for spending with the new revenue, because the 2020-2021 county budget was passed without the assumption that there would be new revenue from an increased HHS levy. In fact, when the county budget passed, the county executive and county council had not yet agreed to place an increased levy on the ballot. During the campaign, Budish said that he would like to see spending increases in mental health, children’s services and senior services.

The conversations about how to prioritize spending will certainly take on a new dynamic, given that the county and country are in the middle of a pandemic. Issues such as food insecurity, rental assistance, and other HHS needs have taken on a new urgency. Although the county did receive $215 million in federal funding through the CARES Act, the county can only spend those dollars on coronavirus-related expenses. The county has spent about $85 million so far, the majority of which was spent retrofitting county buildings to include safety precautions upon reopening to the public. Additionally, the county spent money on things like personal protective equipment for county employees and emergency rental assistance. The county is holding back $100 million in case the federal government decides that those funds can be used to cover any budgetary shortfall. For the time being, however, the dollars remain restricted in their use. HHS levy dollars carry no such restrictions, and are frequently used as a local match to draw down additional state and federal resources for programs like homeless services and workforce readiness programs.

The county is holding back $100 million in case the federal government decides that CARES Act funds can be used to cover any budgetary shortfall not just those directly related to coronavirus.

County council hearings will likely be virtual for the foreseeable future, as well, adding an additional unprecedented aspect as to county budget deliberations.

Community Solutions will follow these budget conversations closely in the coming months. The hearing schedule is below.

2020 Mid-Cycle Budget Schedule

  • Thursday, November 5: Deadline for delivery of budget materials to Council
  • Monday, November 9, 1-3 p.m.: Strategic & detailed overview of budget proposal
  • Tuesday, November 10, 5 p.m.: Introduction of budget resolution for first reading in Council
  • Monday, November 16, 1-5 p.m.: Discussion of budget issues regarding HHS departments; departmental presentations as needed.
  • Thursday, November 19, 1-3 p.m.: Presentation, discussion on, and adoption of substitute resolution and referral to Council.
  • Tuesday, November 24, 2020, 5 p.m.: Second reading of budget resolution; adoption of additional amendments, if needed.
  • Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 5 p.m.: Third reading adoption of budget resolution.
Download Fact Sheets

Ohio Statewide Data

Download

Wood County

Download

Wyandot County

Download

Williams County

Download

Washington County

Download

Vinton County

Download

Wayne County

Download

Warren County

Download

Van Wert County

Download

Union County

Download

Tuscarawas County

Download

Stark County

Download

Summit County

Download

Trumbull County

Download

Shelby County

Download

Seneca County

Download

Scioto County

Download

Ross County

Download

Sandusky County

Download

Richland County

Download

Putnam County

Download

Huron County

Download

Portage County

Download

Preble County

Download

Pike County

Download

Pickaway County

Download

Perry County

Download

Noble County

Download

Paulding County

Download

Ottawa County

Download

Morrow County

Download

Muskingum County

Download

Morgan County

Download

Montgomery County

Download

Meigs County

Download

Monroe County

Download

Miami County

Download

Mercer County

Download

Marion County

Download

Madison County

Download

Medina County

Download

Mahoning County

Download

Lucas County

Download

Lorain County

Download

Logan County

Download

Licking County

Download

Lawrence County

Download

Lake County

Download

Holmes County

Download

Jackson County

Download

Knox County

Download

Jefferson County

Download

Hocking County

Download

Henry County

Download

Highland County

Download

Harrison County

Download

Hancock County

Download

Hardin County

Download

Greene County

Download

Geauga County

Download

Guernsey County

Download

Hamilton County

Download

Gallia County

Download

Fayette County

Download

Fulton County

Download

Franklin County

Download

Fairfield County

Download

Erie County

Download

Darke County

Download

Defiance County

Download

Coshocton County

Download

Delaware County

Download

Cuyahoga County

Download

Crawford County

Download

Columbiana County

Download

Clinton County

Download

Clermont County

Download

Clark County

Download

Champaign County

Download

Carroll County

Download

Athens County

Download

Ashtabula County

Download

Brown County

Download

Butler County

Download

Belmont County

Download

Auglaize County

Download

Ashland County

Download

Allen County

Download

Adams County

Download

Lake County

Download

Geauga County

Download

Cuyahoga County

Download

All Municipalities Geauga County

Download

All Municipalities Lake County

Download

All Municipalities Cuyahoga County

Download

Thompson

Download

South Russell

Download

Russell

Download

Parkman

Download
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Download report

Subscribe to our newsletter

5 Things you need to know arrives on Mondays with the latest articles, events, and advocacy developments in Ohio

Explore the fact sheets

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique.

No Related Fact Sheets

Explore Topics

Browse articles, research, and testimony.