The Union County Board of Developmental Disabilities will likely be on the ballot again next year.
Superintendent Kara Brown recently told the county commissioners she is “90% certain” the board will need to go back on the ballot for new money in 2024.
“Our levy’s done everything it can do,” she said. “Our levy is 21 years old and we’ve just maxed it out.”
UCBDD currently has two levies on the books, a 2.4-mill and a 3.8-mill levy, which were both initiated more than 20 years ago. At that time, the county served nearly 350 people and now it serves 1,100.
The 2.4-mill levy came up for renewal this year and passed but the other one is set to expire in 2025.
Looking at 2024, the board has an operating budget of $14,216,787, which is about a .7% increase from last year, though the revenue projections are around $11.3 million.
A majority of that revenue comes from tax levies, accounting for about $9 million dollars, though the board does also receive federal money. Just over $2 million comes from grants and more than $200,000 comes from other funds such as the board’s shared services with Hardin County. Brown also serves as superintendent for that board.
While the operating budget, or what the board plans to expend year over year, is just over $14 million, the total budget is just over $15.3 million.
Brown said that extra amount takes into account any growth the board may need.
“Each year, our total budget includes those growth positions. They’re not active until we take them to the board and the board agrees that we need them,” she said.
Given that the board is a “human services organization,” Brown said it’s no surprise 63% of the expenses are salaries and benefits. The budget also has 32% in contract services.
“I like to point that out only because it’s a big bucket but it includes our preschool transportation,” Brown said. “And we serve about 250 preschoolers.”
Growth at the board’s Harold Lewis Center preschool has been significant, growing by a rate of 26% a year, according to information from 2022.
The combination of adding students and classrooms with a difficulty finding teachers has made preschool services challenging, Brown said.
The board recently filled an open teacher position that was posted for more than two years and that person will start in January. Prior to that, the Marysville school district picked up two classrooms that would typically be handled by the board. That means the Harold Lewis Center would oversee 13 total classes if not for the two at Marysville.
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in salaries to help keep the schools staffed, but the board is seeing significantly fewer applicants for needed positions.
In addition to population growth and a slowing of revenue, Brown said the board also regularly loses money to tax increment financing agreements put on by the City of Marysville.
Though much of the conversation locally has been centered on how the TIFs impact schools, other entities such as the UCBDD also take a hit.
“Over the last 11 years, we’ve lost about $1.5 million to TIFs,” she said, noting that while it’s only a fraction of the budget, it is more than $1 million in money the county doesn’t see. “The two biggest TIFs are Mill Valley North and Coleman’s Crossing. The City of Marysville accounts for about $1.4 million of that $1.5 million.”
Brown said the board has worked over the last 21 years to implement as many cost saving measures to extend the life of the levies as long as possible.
“Privatization of UCO saved about $10 million over the last 10 years,” she said. “That savings allowed us to pay for much of the growth we have seen.”
She said the board made changes in insurance that have saved over $2 million over the last 10 years as well.
The change in the transportation (bussing) contract in 2016 saved $1 million over five years.
“After COVID we adapted our in office requirements and eliminated $125,000 annually in lease and utility costs,” Brown added.
She said while the amount is not set in stone, nor has it been voted on by the board, the levy next year may be around 2 mills.