Clermont County Commissioner and County Commissioners Association of Ohio President David Painter. Photo courtesy County Commissioners Association of Ohio.
The week of March 10, the House Finance Committee heard three days of public testimony on House Bill 96, the state operating budget. The County Commissioners Association of Ohio testified to the committee twice, as CCAO Board Member and Ross County Commissioner Jack Everson testified on Tuesday about child welfare issues and CCAO President and Clermont County Commissioner David Painter testified about the Association’s full priorities on Thursday.
On March 11, Commissioner Everson’s testimony highlighted the rising placement costs in his county, an increase from $2.3 million in 2015 to $6.3 million in 2024. He emphasized the need for cost stabilization, as these increases are not sustainable, and expressed CCAO’s support for the increased investment in children services in HB 96.
Committee members asked Commissioner Everson about the impact of the complex needs of children entering care on costs, and roadblocks counties have in building their own facilities to keep these children closer to home. Commissioner Everson discussed the cost of facility upgrades as well as staffing challenges.
On March 13, President Painter provided testimony and requested the committee support two key CCAO amendment requests: one would provide an additional $93 million over the biennium for indigent defense reimbursement and the other would increase the user fee that supports the Next Generation 9-1-1 system to $1.00 per device per month. Without these amendments, the indigent defense reimbursement rate will likely remain near 70% and counties implementing the NG 9-1-1 system may have to rely more on property taxes.
After a question from Representative Kevin Ritter, a former Washington County Commissioner who is one of the sponsors of the NG 9-1-1 amendment that CCAO supports, President Painter explained that the $0.40 per month user fee has generated less than half the revenue it was projected to, so a $1.00 per month fee would bring in the revenue that was originally anticipated.
Subscribe to The Clermont Sun today!
https://www.clermontsun.com/subscribe