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Franklin County Children’s Services Tax Passes in Unofficial Results

Online Niel November 7, 2024

A property tax for Franklin County Children’s Services Tuesday night passed.

Based on unofficial results, 62% voted for the tax and 38% voted against it.

The agency asked voters to renew 1.9 existing mills and approve an increase of 0.6 mills. Under the plan, property owners would pay about $21 more per year for every $100,000 of assessed value. Right now, about $28 per $100,000 valuation is collected from this tax on owner-occupied homes.

This is one of two taxes that fund Franklin County Children’s Services. The other, a 3.1-mill, 10-year levy, was renewed by voters in 2019 and collects $84.53 per year per $100,000 of property value.

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The request came as the agency reports rising costs for child placement.

While the number of children taken into the agency’s custody has declined, FCCS spokesman Scott Varner said the fee increase is necessary because foster care costs have risen 24 percent over the past three years. An increasing number of children in the agency’s custody, about one in four, have complex problems, including mental illness, developmental disabilities or are involved in the juvenile justice system, Varner said.

FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning thanked voters in a statement Tuesday night.

“Here in Franklin County, we all believe that every child in our community deserves to feel safe at home — safe from the fear of abuse and neglect — and sometimes families need help to make that possible. And thanks to the voters, Franklin County. Children’s Services will have the resources we need to keep children safer and make families stronger for longer,” said Spinning.

Additionally, if the agency has to take a child in, they are likely to remain in custody for more than a year and a half, Varner said, which is a 60 percent increase from a decade ago.

FCCS’s annual budget is about $225 million, and the proposed tax increase would bring in about $31 million more.

If the tax passes, the agency has pledged to use the money to invest in kinship care, retaining caseworkers and community programs that address the challenges caregivers face and the youth mental health crisis.