Kettering area residents to vote on Montgomery County Issue 1 – The Human Service Renewal Levy

Kettering, Ohio – Election season is upon us once again. The 2021 General Election will be held Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Montgomery County actually has two Human Services Levies that the County began creating in 1984. These levies are renewed every 8 years in alternating 4-year cycles. The Human Services Renewal Levy before voters in 2021 was last passed in 2014. The 2014 Human Services Renewal Levy passed with 64%

The levy provides $73.3 Million annually for various human services programs. Supporters say that the funds:

• Protect children from abuse and neglect.
• Provide elderly residents with health care and meals.
• Provide housing services for developmentally disabled adults.
• Provide indigent hospital care.
• Improve the availability of groceries and healthy food in urban neighborhoods.
• Pay for early diagnosis and treatment for children with disabilities.
• Train unemployed workers and assist them in finding new jobs.
• Provide intervention and treatment for drug abuse and addiction.
• Fund public health services such as immunizations, disaster responses, and restaurant inspections.
• Provide temporary housing assistance to the homeless.
• Fund suicide prevention and mental health services.

Supporters of the levy say that this year’s Human Services Renewal Levy will maintain the levy at its present rate, which is $18 for every $100,000 in property value (8.21 mills). Supporters also say that levy proceeds serve residents in every community of the County. But they acknowledge that 43% of levy funds go to Dayton City residents despite the fact that Dayton residents only account for 26% of the County’s population.

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Funds from the levy are administered by the Human Services Council. The Council is charged with planning future levies and recommending to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners service priorities and levy allocations. The Council meets every third and fourth Monday of the month at 8:15 A.M. For more information on Council meetings and activities, contact Tom Kelley, Director, 451 W. Third St., Dayton, OH 45422, 937-225-4379, kellyt@mcoohio.org.

Council membership terms are 5 years and are staggered. There is currently one vacancy on the Council. The current Council consists of:

Larry Lawhorne
Vivienne Himmell
Patricia Loas
Dave Seagraves
Jeffrey Mims, Jr.
Gregory Holler
Doug Compton
Michael J. Sims
Nicholas Edwards
Stephen Ringel
Joyce Young
Arthur Komorowski
Robert C. Walker
Joe Tuss
Anthony Whitmore
Eloise Broner
David C. Melin

The Council currently allocates the levy funds among five primary agencies:

1. The Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities
2. Montgomery County and Dayton Departments of Public Health
3. Montgomery County Children Services
4. Montgomery Count Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services
5. Area Agency on Aging

The Human Services Renewal Levy is endorsed by many Montgomery County leaders, including Don Patterson, Kettering Mayor, Peggy Lehner, Candidate for Kettering Mayor, Kettering Health Network, Brooks Compton, Centerville Mayor, and Belinda Kenley, Centerville City Council. You can view the full list of endorsements at https://keepmontgomeryhumanservices.com/endorsements/.

At present, there does not appear to be any organized opposition to Montgomery County Issue 1 – The Human Services Renewal Levy.

There are several ways registered voters can vote. Absentee voting by mail began on October 5th. If you cannot vote on election day and want to vote via Absentee Ballot visit the Montgomery County Board of Elections website at https://www.montgomery.boe.ohio.gov/absentee-voting/
or telephone 937-225-5656. The deadline for Absentee Ballot applications is Saturday, October 30, 2021. The Absentee Ballot application must be received by the Board of Elections by Noon on the 30th. Absentee ballots must be either received by the Board of Elections by 7:30 P.M. on election day, November 2, 2021, or by postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service by November 1, 2021, and received no later than 10 days after the election.

Another alternative is early voting. In person early voting began October 5, 2021, and will run through November 1, 2021. Voters can vote in person at the Montgomery County Board of Elections, 451 W. Third St., Dayton, OH 45422. Voting takes place Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. There will also be two opportunities for weekend in-person voting. Early voters can vote on Saturday, October 30, 2021, from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and Sunday, October 31, 2021, from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. Early voting will end on Monday, November 1, 2021, at 2:00 P.M.

Voters can also go and vote traditionally at the polls on election day. Election day voting will take place from 6:30 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. To find your polling place go to https://lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/montgomery/vtrlookup.aspx#results
and enter your name.