Let's Talk Clermont

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We're keeping the election train rolling. We start with a look at Ohio House Bill 28 and a review of how levies are classified in Ohio. Then we sits down with Dotty Meier (Director, Job & Family Services) and Anne Gross (Assistant Director, CPS).

Episode Overview

• HB 28: Why Ohio has different levy types (additional, renewal, renewal + inc/dec, replacement), how HB 920 set the stage, and what HB 28 would do (eliminate replacement levies). Status check and a reminder to contact Sen. Terry Johnson if you’ve got a view.
  
  
• Context for CPS: What CPS actually does (screening, investigations, family-first services, removals only as a last resort), why confidentiality limits what they can say publicly, and how referrals work.
  
  
• The placement crisis: Fewer foster/residential beds, higher needs (acuity), workforce shortages, rising daily rates (avg ~$570/day for group homes; some residential placements >$1,000/day).
  
  
• Levy details (Clermont County CPS)
  • Ballot type: Renewal with a 0.2-mill increase (not a replacement).
  • Effective millage would move from 0.46 to 0.66, still below the original 0.8 mills.
  • Cost: $23.33 per $100k of home value per year (about $7 more per $100k than now).
  • Why ask now: Last year placement costs topped ~$7.5M; the existing levy brings in ~$3.6M and is used almost entirely for placement-related costs. Federal/state dollars cover other mandated services and prevention.
  • Scale: ~1,332 maltreatment investigations last year (~1,172 children served without removal); ~283 kids required placement.

Town halls with CPS (ask questions live)

• Tue, Oct 21 — 6:30–7:30 PM @ Williamsburg Library (tonight)
• Sat, Oct 25 — 12:30–1:30 PM @ Goshen Library
• Tue, Oct 28 — 6:30–7:30 PM @ Amelia Library
• Sat, Nov 1 — 1:30–3:30 PM @ Miami Township Library

Shout-outs & what’s next

• Value-for-value: first on-air producer mention goes to Dr. Kelly Scarf. Thank you!
  
  
• Tomorrow’s guest (Oct 22): Rex Parson, incumbent candidate for Batavia Township Trustee, campaign-focused follow-up.

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[00:00:11] Unknown:

We've been living in sin so long.   All  

[00:00:22] Unknown:

Welcome to episode 32   of Let's Talk Claremont. I am your host, Patrick, and I thank you for for tuning in. I'm happy you're here. I'm happy you're listening. And to anybody new, because we've had a great response to these candidate interviews,   this is an off day. Normally, the episodes come out on Thursdays, and, normally, what we would do is talk about a little of the news that's going around in the county. We'd get into our interview,   and then we would wrap things up with events from around the county.   But   and we'll get into this a little bit later. We are on an accelerated publishing schedule because we are interviewing candidates,   that will be on the ballot come November 4, and we're we're interviewing people that have levies on the ballot. So we're trying to get all of these out before the fourth so you can hear from all these people and, you know, either why they wanna be in public office or why they have a levy on the ballot.  

So instead of the news, we've been looking back at some, legislature that we've previously talked about that's working their way through the Ohio State legislature.   And today,   we will talk about another one of those. That is house bill 28.   Now we first talked about this in episode six, which was with Sarah Cox from Rustic Grains.   Those are the people who put on the mustard seed markets, which are, in my opinion, pretty great events.   And I'd suggest going back and giving that a listen. It was a really it was a pretty honest conversation with Sarah about all different kinds of things, not just the mustard seed market. So I think it was a it was one of my favorite episodes if if I'm being honest. So   but let's talk about house bill 28. So this deals with property taxes and important to our interview today and any interview we do with anybody   about levies.  

It has to do with how levies are classified.   Now to understand   to understand this, we need a little bit of context for house bill 28. And to get that context,   we have to go back to 1976   and house bill nine twenty.   What house bill nine twenty did is it cut the millage or property tax. And as a note, whenever I say millage, it's pretty much just means property tax. And in a later episode, we'll probably get into millage and what that exactly is.   It's property tax.   So house bill nine twenty cut the property tax whenever   a reappraisal property reappraisal   pushed property values higher.  

So what this does is it keeps each levy's revenue at the same dollar amount approved by voters, but it also means that the effective tax rate or the millage   decreases   over time. So as costs rise,   the percent tax effectively   decreases.   Now this was all in response to the inflation in the mid seventies, which was pushing property buy values higher over short periods of time.   So, you know, you don't wanna wake up one day and suddenly your house is worth a $100,000   more and then then your property taxes are worth, you know, whatever that is.   And I think that's a problem we can probably all relate to today.  

So what does this have to do with house bill 28 and properties property tax and levies today?   What I understand is we have to look at the different types of levies in Ohio,   and this was something I had no idea about until I started this podcast.   There are actually four different types of levies that we need to look at. There is an additional levy. Now this is just a brand new levy for whatever stated purpose the people proposing the levy want it for.   That's pretty straightforward.   There is also something called a renewal levy.   Now this re ups an exist an expiring levy at its effective rate. So that means the jurisdiction   collects the same dollar amount that the voters approved the first year the levy was passed. It does not reset the millage upward, and your property taxes do not increase.  

There's also something called a renewal with an increase or with a decrease. And it's essentially the same as a renewal, but the taxing authority can add or trim millage that is tax.   And this this is what the CPS levy is doing,   and they get into that more in the interview.   And finally,   there is a replacement levy. A replacement   substitutes an existing levy so collections are recalculated   on current property values.   It can be at the same rate. It can be a partial replacement at a lower rate or a partial or a replacement   with an increase.  

So what this is basically going to do, a replacement levy, is it's going to reset the tax to the original percent, and it's going to recalibrate the amount of taxes you pay based on your current property value,   which, assuming your property has increased in value, will mean a higher tax.   Oh, so   I thought this could at least I found it confusing. So that's what house bill 28 does, and that's how levies work in Ohio.   Now if house bill 28 passes, it will eliminate the authority for local governments and school districts to place replacement property tax levies on the ballot. Now it does a couple of other things, but this is kind of the big one.   And when we first looked at this,   it had passed the house and was in the senate ways and means committee.  

And to my knowledge, as of, you know, posting the episode, it is still in the senate ways and means   committee.   And, again, our senator is Terry Johnson. So if you're for or against it, whatever,   send him a note. Let him know. Also, talk to your local representatives.   They all talk you know, they talk to people in Columbus, and people in Columbus talk to them.   And   this is how we get what we want. You know, if you don't get in touch with your representatives and tell them yes or no, I want this, or what you're passionate about,   they'll just do what we think we want.  

So if this is something that you feel very strongly about, please contact Terry Johnson or your local representative.   The other thing I wanna talk about before we get to the interview   is the child placement crisis.   So the there is a rising cost of placement that comes up in the interview. And I asked Dottie and Anne to send me more information on this because the problem isn't just confined to Clermont County.   They sent me an article from an organization called Public Child   Services Association of Ohio,   and I'm gonna use the acronym that they use, PASCO.  

I I don't know if people call it PASCO. I'm gonna call it PASCO, so that's what I'm talking about.   This is a nonprofit membership   association that advocates for sound child welfare policy, promotes program excellence, and builds public support for for safe children, stable families, and supportive communities   in Ohio.   So I just thought it was it was good for you to know where this information is coming from. Not that I think, you know, they're trying to misrepresent anything. It's just good to know what the what our sources are for things like this.   So according to the PASCO article, here's what's going on. And as a quick note, this was a 2023 article, so these numbers are all gonna be from that year.  

I also can't imagine that they've solved this problem in two years. If anything, it's probably just gotten worse.   So Ohio is facing a severe shortage of foster homes, group homes, and residential treatment placements. And this is forcing some kids to spend nights in county agency offices   or in hospital ERs even if they don't need any medical attention.   On top of that, fourteen percent of Ohio youth has had severe major depressive episodes, and this was in 2022.   More than half did not receive any mental health treatment,   and three fourths of Ohio's 88 counties have a shortage of mental health professionals.  

And all of those numbers came from Cincinnati Children's.   The article also says that 503   children spent at least one night in county offices,   and many others were stuck in hospitals   waiting to be placed somewhere. So for example,   Cincinnati Children's reported 22 kids waiting in the ER   occupying 22 inpatient beds,   for lack of placement, and this was just for April   2023.   Now the article cites a couple different causes for this.   One of them being post COVID workforce shortages, closures, or reduced   capacity at residential facilities,   and rising acuity. And I had to look up what that meant, rising acuity. And that refers to children with high needs like complex emotional,   behavioral, developmental, or medical challenges.  

I also did a quick search, and not only is this problem not unique to Claremont, it's not even unique to Ohio.   I found article setting similar issues from West Virginia, Texas,   Washington State, Oregon,   Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Kansas. So   this seems to be like like it's a nationwide   problem.   I'll also link the PASCO article into the newsletter so you can read it for yourself and make your own determination.   So that's all we have for house bills and and news and things like that.   And I am happy to say,   we had our first $50 and above donation. So we have our first producer producer mentioned. That is going to be Kelly Scarf,   doctor Scarf.  

She's actually a very good friend, and I I really I and we really appreciate   her donation.   She's probably also gonna hate that I called her doctor Scarf. She is a university professor and   probably one of the least pretentious people I know. So,   sorry, Kelly, if you don't like the doctor Scarf.   But, anyway,   thank you to her, and thank you to all producers that donated under $50   for reasons of anonymity.   So if you're new to this podcast, you might be wondering what that was all about, and I will be happy to tell you. Because we are a value for value podcast, and what that means is that if you find value in what we're doing, all we ask is for a little value in return, and that can be in the form of time, talent,   or treasure.  

For time and talent, get in touch with us. Let us know what's going on in your community.   You know, what what's the news going on there? What are the issues that you're dealing with in your community, your neighborhood, whatever the case may be?   Also, let us know who you'd like us to talk to. You know? We wanna talk to the people that are interesting to you, and there's tons of people doing interesting things across the county. It's just a matter of finding them. So please let me know.   And keep thinking about that question. What is the character of our county? We're dealing with a lot of development pressure in Clermont.   And a lot of the zoning documents and people I talk to, they they all say, you know, we wanna preserve the character of our county or township village, whatever the case may be,   But we need to define that character. We need to know what that is. What are we trying to preserve in the face of all this development pressure?  

I'm not sure I have a great answer to it, but if you do, write in.   And like I said in the last episode, if you're interested in sending in, some kind of high school sports rundown, get in touch, and we'll make that happen. I think that'd be a really fun addition to the show.   For treasure, go to the website, www.let's   talk clairemont.com.   Click donate. You can donate via PayPal or Stripe.   And like I said, any dollar amount is greatly appreciated. And you can even do reoccurring donations via PayPal, daily, weekly, monthly, whatever it is. The shows work a worth a buck a month to you. Great. That'd be wonderful.   And as I've always said, any dollar amount, greatly appreciated. But   for donations $50 and above, you will get a special mention on the show just like doctor Scarf did. And   for donations $200   and above, you will get an executive producer credit for the show that I will vouch for, and I'll read a note on air. And that note can be anything.  

It can be what's going on in your life. It can be an ad read for your business. It can be a nasty gram. You can tell me all about how you don't like what we're doing. And I will give that the best dramatic reading I can possibly give.   If you donate $200 and above to the show, I will read nearly,   and I'll caveat that nearly   any note. I don't need any kind of, like, nasty,   you know, curse word filled notes or anything like that. Keep those to yourself. But within reason, I will read any note. And as a quick note, and thank you to Kelly for making me realize this,   if you donate $50 and above, even if, you know, you're not sending in a note to be read on air, please email info@let'stalkclaremont.com.  

I'm sorry. Info@let'stalkclaremont,   with your name and donation amount so I can match that up on the back end. And if you don't do that, I'm not gonna know who you are, and I won't be able to mention you on the show. So please do that.   And, of course, you can connect with us. Get in touch with us on Facebook. Let's talk Claremont podcast. We're on Instagram at let's talk Claremont, and we got that newsletter. Go to www.let'stalkclaremont.com.   Click newsletter. Put your email in there. We're only gonna email you once a week on Thursdays when a new show comes out,   and there'll be links to all the news articles in there. And like I said, after the fourth,   we are going to try to, you know, spice that up a little bit, Put some more fun things in there, things that you're not gonna get on the show. So please sign up for that.  

And, of course, follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whatever it is you happen to use for podcast.   It really helps the show out, but it helps you out because whenever there's a new episode, you will be notified.   And, of course, if you just wanna get in touch, say hi, whatever it is, info@let'stalkclaremont.com.   I would love to hear from you.   Alright. Let's talk about this posting schedule just a little bit more in case you're new or in case you're confused why you're listening to this on a Tuesday and not a Thursday. We are on an accelerated posting schedule. We are trying to get all of the interviews with candidates and people with levies on the ballot out before   the fourth. Because after the fourth, won't make, won't do anybody good.  

So   we will be doing these house bills and kind of background information to the interviews,   on any day that isn't Thursday.   But on Thursdays, we will do our normal full news rundown, and we will refresh the list of events that you'll hear after the interview. There'll still be events today after the interview, but I'm gonna, you know, search around for more ones for new ones rather,   on Thursdays. So   Thursday is when you're gonna get a full news rundown and a refresh of events, and I'm I'm still only gonna send that newsletter out on Thursdays, but there will be links to all the episodes throughout the week in that Thursday newsletter.   So with all that bookkeeping taken care of, let's talk about who we're interviewing tomorrow.  

That'll be October 22.   We're talking to Rex Parson. He is one of the incumbent candidates for Batavia Township trustee. This is actually the second time we talked to Rex. The first time, it was a little more general. We talked about what trustees do and how township government works.   And he said before the interview that he didn't wanna get into his campaign, and I really appreciated that because I didn't know he was going to run, and I wasn't really prepared to discuss that.   So I did tell him, you know, if you wanna come back on and talk specifically about your campaign, I'd be happy to have you. And that's what we did. And we talk about some of the usual suspects. You know? We talk about development,   transparency in local co in local government,   village and township, or let the village of Batavia and the and the Batavia Township, the relations between them, and how we can perhaps work together a little bit better.  

We also talk about some of the accomplishments he's he's been proud of as a trustee and some of the things that, you know, he thinks that him and other trustees could have done better over the years.   So I really enjoyed the interview, and I hope you'll tune into that tomorrow.   But today, we are talking to Dottie Meier, the director of Clermont County Job and Family Services,   and Anne Gross, director of Clermont County Child Protective Services. And we're gonna talk about the upcoming Child Protective Services Levy.   We'll also get into what CPS does and how it plays a role in, job and family services in general and overall.  

And I really enjoyed the interview. I thought it was very informative. These ladies seem like they've done their their homework.   And for or against, I think they they did a great job of explaining why they're proposing the levy and what the funds will be used for.   And just as a note, you know, I think they   this probably isn't the best job in the world, child protective services. You know, you you probably see a lot of things that are tragic and horrific. So   regardless of how you feel about the levy, I think we can all thank them for doing what they do because it cannot be easy.   And if you want to ask them some questions in person, they are having some town halls, which I think is another cool thing that they're doing.  

And I'll list those off to you. And if you wanna go, I'm sure they'd be happy to answer your questions. So there will be one today, Tuesday, October 21,   from 06:30 to 07:30PM   at the Williamsburg Library. Again, that's tonight.   There will be one Saturday, October 25, from 12:30 to 01:30PM at the Goshen Library.   There will be one Tuesday, October 28, from 06:30 to 07:30PM   at the Amelia Library. And the last one will be Saturday,   November 1 from 01:30 to 3PM   at Miami Township Library.   And, again, if you wanna ask these ladies some questions and and see why they're proposing   this levy, I would highly recommend you go to those. And they've done a really good job of scheduling those, you know, after work hours or on the weekends so that you you can get there.  

Alright. With all that said, let's get into the interview, and I hope you enjoy it.   Alrighty.   We are recording,   and   I'll start this like I start all of my interviews. Just tell us who you are and what you do. Alright. My name is Dottie Meier, and I'm the director of job and family services here in Clermont County.  

[00:17:53] Unknown:

And my name is Anne Gross, and I am the assistant director. And I'm in charge of children's services here in Clermont County. Excellent.  

[00:18:00] Unknown:

So I know there's a levy.   But before we get into the levy, can you just talk about what child protection services does and and the things you provide for the county? Yes. Anne, I'm gonna go ahead with that.  

[00:18:12] Unknown:

So we   the main thing we do is we take reports   of allegations of abuse and neglect, and we investigate those allegations.   Then we make determinations   as to whether there are concerns.   And from there, we determine whether families need ongoing services, whether kids are not safe where they are, and we need to find another place for kids to be.   If we determine that kids are not safe, we find someplace else that can be with relatives, foster care, any number of different places, but we always try to keep them as close to a home like setting as we can. And then we work with families to try and reunify them if there are issues.   And, unfortunately, sometimes we're unable to do that. And when that's the case, we look at we also provide services for children to be adopted when they cannot be returned to their family. So in a nutshell, that's what we do. So I think we we're talking about this a little bit before we started recording. Can you talk about some of the criteria and how you make those determinations? Because I think some people hear child protection services,  

[00:19:10] Unknown:

and they think, well, you just go around stealing kids from families and placing them other places. Can you talk about   that, I guess, the thought process or how those determinations are made? Yes. There there's,  

[00:19:22] Unknown:

it it's not a clear black and white. Sure. But   the state of Ohio has laws and rules that talk about what would constitute abuse and neglect. So if an allegation comes in and if everything were true in that allegation, it would meet the criteria for abuse and neglect, We would screen that in, and then we would investigate it. And we know that not everything that come that people report is true.   Even if they think it's true, we find other things out. So that's what the standard is. The state sets the that forth.   But we are   very much pro family. Mhmm.  

So even if there is abuse and neglect, we wanna help those families. But we also recognize   that   it has to meet that level of abuse or neglect.   It's not poverty. Being poor does not mean a child is neglected. So we're very conscientious of that, and the rules and laws are pretty specific about that. We really are here to help families to make them stronger,   and not to remove children. It it is a last resort. And when kids are not safe, we really look to other family members to provide   that stability until we can get the parents what they need. So   we are not here to remove people's kids, but, unfortunately, on occasion, that is necessary. Sure. And how long have both of you been doing this?  



[00:20:40] Unknown:

This,   Dottie. I don't know if I'm supposed to Oh, Oh, that's fine. Yeah. Say they don't know. I didn't know.  

[00:20:46] Unknown:

That was Anne. Don't worry. There are there are very little rules in it, so you can make them up as you go if you want.  

[00:20:53] Unknown:

So,   I have been the director since the December   2023.   So in terms of directors for job and family services, I'm fairly new.   But and before that, I worked,   at,   prosecutor's office. I was in Hamilton County, and then I,   was lucky enough to to be offered a position in Claremont County. And   the   I always strive   towards,   helping people. In the cases that I really wanted to work on, we're helping the most vulnerable. They couldn't really speak for themselves.   And I knew that my career would always take me to,   being in a position of being able to try to help families   not to get to the point of having to have law enforcement and,   the prosecutor's office involved. They're huge partners with us as far as law enforcement and and the prosecutor's office to try to help   children who have been wronged terribly and harmed.  

But I really wanted to see if there was a way that we can improve the services that are being offered   to where we can give the families the resources   to try to stop those things from happening before it got too far down the road.   And so that's that's why I came here, and and that's,   that's really why I'm so passionate about this work.   Anne?  

[00:22:18] Unknown:

I've I've been in this field in one way or another since about 1994.   Oh, wow. So it's third twenty nine years? Well, it'll be thirty one where I've actually worked   coming up next year, but   I've been in various capacities. I've I've worked for Clermont County Children's Services. I I worked for Claremont County Juvenile Court for a period of time.   I worked for Hamilton County Children's Services for about five years.   And, actually, I stayed home for a couple years with my kids when they were younger. And during that time, I was a CASA, so a court appointed special advocate, in Clermont County. I was a volunteer,   where I worked to advocate for kids and through the court system. So   I've been involved with this. It has been a passion of mine for quite a number of years now. Well, that was gonna be my next question because this  

[00:23:08] Unknown:

I'm I don't know if it's a thankless job, but I'm I'm sure it's it doesn't bring you fame and fortune.   What what drives you to work in child protection services? I mean, what is the the core?  

[00:23:19] Unknown:

Well, for me, it's it's that hope   that we can not only   help children that are at risk, that we can build up families. Department of job and family services is   one division of CPS, and   we are interactive with the families   and,   in their homes and and trying to help them build them up. But we also have services where we have public assistance where we're trying to give people the needed resources   to be able to keep the family going and keep the family fed until they're able to,   go on on their own and become self sufficient.   And we also have an Ohio means jobs department   where we   help individuals   from youth all the way up into adults   that are in need of specialized training maybe to be able to find a job, or they just need help with basic resume,   interviewing skills.  

Our building is really about trying to make the the family whole   and whatever the family makeup is, you know, helping the family be whole and be self sufficient.   And I think that,   department of job and family services and CPS specifically   gets a bad rap in the community because it's always just the negative. Mhmm. And,   we really are about trying to help families.   We'll do what we can to try to get the resources to the families   to be able to care for their own family and their and their children.   And,   you know, when you're on   in a different profession that maybe is on the outside of that, you really don't feel like that you're in the midst of it and able to change policy and and develop new programs to make those services better.  

So that's that's why I'm I'm here and why I'm involved.  

[00:25:08] Unknown:

For me, it's very similar.   I I really passionately believe in the work that we do. I I am an advocate for families.   Obviously, children are our main goal, making sure that they're safe. But I know that children do better with families, and I know that that family focus is really important.   I always say this is very difficult work,   and not everybody can do it. Because it's there's gotta be some heartbreaking moments in the work. It's hard, and you hear a lot of hard things. And, you know, I I sometimes forget that. Like, if I get a call in the middle of the night, I have to and I knew this when my kids were little. Like, I couldn't take calls when my kids were in the car because the things I talk about aren't things I would talk about in front of my kids sometimes. So   Which I think is a very telling, like, how tragic some of these situations can get. It's it's hard, and not everybody can do it, but I can. And and   we just we just did in a kind of a CPS appreciation week, and one of the things we that we said to them is you make a difference in people's lives every single day. And for people who can do that, not everybody can say that about their job. Mhmm.  

And, you know, sometimes we don't feel like we do. Sometimes you really have to judge where   how you measure that, how you measure success.   But we do, and   my staff   are very   compassionate. They care about the families they work with. They care about the kids that they work with.   And it's hard sometimes,  

[00:26:41] Unknown:

but it can be rewarding as well. Well, how do you keep a positive outlook? Because like I've said before,   very recently, actually, it's probably very tragic work at times. How do you stay resilient and keep hope?  

[00:26:53] Unknown:

You know, we do a lot of things for our staff, and I've done a lot of training on resilience   and trauma informed care. We we actually,   provide some of that for our staff as well.   It it is hard sometimes, but you do focus on the good things that you've done.   You focus on the people that maybe,   I I had a mom one time who was just so angry at me because I really rigidly enforced the rules of she had to be there on time to visit her kids. And she got so mad at me because I just said, no. This is important. You have to be here.   And she came back after she was reunified with her five children,   and doing very well. And she came back and brought my staff thank you letters, and I thought there's no way I have one. And she brought one and said, you know what? I was so mad at you, and I wasn't gonna let you be right.  

And I did the things I had to do,   and you really did push me into doing that. And and I think about that a lot in that I was I wanted her to to reunify with her kids. Her kids so badly wanted her to do the things she needed to do, and I was so happy when she did. But I never thought she knew that I was happy when she did because I was really the bad guy. Yeah.   I bet you get that up a lot being the bad guy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And and and as the assistant director,   it's much better for me to be the bad guy and so that they can work with their caseworker and the supervisor. So I do end up in that So your job is almost bad guy. You're a professional bad guy? Yeah.  

[00:28:21] Unknown:

And that's really what we tell our staff is that Anne and I have big shoulders. Mhmm. So if we need to be the bad guys here, we're fine with that. Yeah. And, you know, it's celebrating the small victories, celebrating the the the happiness and the and the and the good outcomes   and offering support   when there is not a good outcome.   But I think that that   some people would say that the removal of the child in the first place is a negative.   However,   once it's been determined that it's that dangerous or if it's that,   harmful to the child that they need to be removed,   the fact that we did find some place safe for them to go,   is a good thing. And sometimes it's that that require that then has the parents   understanding,   oh, wait a minute. I do understand what I'm, you know, what I'm doing wrong here. And this is going to give me an opportunity   to   make the right choices to be able to have a healthy home for my children.  



[00:29:21] Unknown:

And you talked about some of the   negative,   what would you say,   Connotations is in my head, but that's not the right word.   The the negativity that seems to be lumped on child protection services sometimes. Mhmm. Where do you think that comes from? The perceptions. That's what I was searching for. I'll tell you what my opinion is.  

[00:29:44] Unknown:

My opinion is people like to believe   that if children's services does their job completely right, that children will not be harmed, and that makes things easier for them. And, unfortunately,   I wish that were true. I wish if we did everything right, a child would not be harmed, but that's not the reality,   and that's a harsh reality for people to live with. So I think that that's part of it is we wanna believe that that kids aren't gonna be harmed.   And, obviously, the reality that I've lived in for my entire career is that's just not always the case, unfortunately.   We do the best to pick up the pieces when that happens, when that's possible,   and to make things better, but it's not always true.  

The other part of that is what we do is extremely confidential.   These are families' really private, deep, dark things, and we can't go out and tell people Yeah. All of the things. So   we're not   I'm not trying to hide behind the confidentiality,   but it's not my story to tell. Right. So   because we can't go out and tell everybody every single thing that we did or why all of this happened, it looks like we're trying to hide behind that. And and it it that's that's really not it. Sometimes, I wish so badly I could tell you everything everything we did. Mhmm. Because, like, I know   that in most of these cases, people would say, oh,   but   but I can't do that because it's not my story to tell. Mhmm.  



[00:31:11] Unknown:

Right. And if you think about it, just general human nature,   people are going to tend to believe the sensationalism   that's put out on the Internet. You know, individuals   that are going to be screaming   on their Facebook videos about, you know, children's services did this. Children's services did that. And as Anne said,   we can't respond, and we won't respond because that is not our story to tell. That is not something that we're gonna put out there, but it's easier for people to believe that sensationalism.   At no time will any of those individuals say what they did. It's always just what CPS did, what CPS did,   or in some cases, what CPS didn't do. Mhmm. But yet, you know, you were talking to Anne about,   you know, what is the criteria.  

Many people don't know that when we get a call in,   that initial call, we have to look at those specific facts that are given in that call. We're very limited as to what it's not like we can send out a team and we're starting into that investigation.   The rules are very clear for us as to what we can take into consideration   when making a decision as to whether or not we have we are going to respond.   And most of the time, it's just the information that's given Mhmm. During that call. Maybe some public   available information,   but other than that, we're very limited. So if the caller that calls in and just says, hey. We're we're concerned,   we are under a legal obligation to only act when it meets a certain criteria.  



[00:32:42] Unknown:

So and people don't know that. And that's somebody couldn't just call in and say, like, hey. My neighbor,   I think something's going on.   But meanwhile, the neighbor's got some ax to grind and, you know, you can't just send people out there. Is that Unfortunately, we get a lot of them. Yeah. Well,  

[00:32:58] Unknown:

we we are not preventative.   Mhmm. We are incident driven, and so we're looking at in what you report,   is that enough that if it were true? So   the people that take the calls are are trained to ask the questions.   So when you call in a report,   they're gonna ask a lot of questions. Some people get frustrated by that, but it's really   so that we can gather enough information   to know whether it warrants us going out there because it is very intrusive. I don't wanna go out because some neighbor has an axe to grind. That's that's it's traumatic for kids when children services comes and interviews them. Yeah. I imagine. It's very upsetting to them. Very very confusing too. Yes. And and we don't wanna do that if we don't need to.   But, obviously, we want to if there's something we need to be concerned about. So  

[00:33:47] Unknown:

Right.   So   I think we'll transition into the levy unless there's anything else you wanna say about what you guys do or or just child protection services in general. No. I one of the reasons why we we  

[00:34:01] Unknown:

are trying to engage in this type of dialogue with individuals is though that they do have an opportunity to talk with children services staff to find out why,   you know, they take actions the way that they do, what the legal mandates are,   and and also to,   we have what's called a roadshow   that Anne and her team do, and and we're really focused on getting that and out into the community.   We want people to understand what it is the children's services does. And I think that it's through that we're able to break through that negative   kind of shroud that's put over CPS,   to where they think that they either don't do what they what they think that they should be doing as far as the community,   or they're overzealous in what they're doing.  

So that's really what what this hope is is that in these conversations   with the levy, with our town halls,   you know, Anne and her staff and and I and the rest of the committee will be there to try to answer these questions and tear away that Derek Shroud   that's, of really misinformation   that's hanging over CPS in some people's minds.  

[00:35:08] Unknown:

And I would say one more thing about removals.   We don't do removals on our own. So   if it's an emergency situation and I go out to a home, it it can't be a decision. It's not just a caseworker's decision. It's caseworkers   involved with law enforcement   and supervisors   guiding them and all of that. And then the court also makes those decisions. We file in court. We have to be able to prove those things. So   it can't be just an overzealous caseworker who goes out and says, I'm taking your your your child. Yeah. We have lots there's lots of checks and balances in the system. So,   and and I'm glad those are there,   because we may see things differently, and and that that's there for a good reason.  



[00:35:48] Unknown:

And, actually, before we get into levying, I think you might have touched on it a little bit.   Can you explain more about the resources that people can use before  

[00:35:58] Unknown:

the child protection services has to get involved? Yes. I'll I'll start out, and then, obviously, Anne, has been in in the position that she's in for a long time can can conclude.   But,   in Claremont County, we have agencies   that,   obviously   are   exist within the county that's even separate from DJFS.   But those agencies   that help with, early education,   and we have,   care coordinators that are in schools. Mhmm. The schools over the last I guess, it's been what how many years have we had care coordinators in schools? Three maybe? Three. Okay. Now a lot of thing people this is something that's that's fairly new in the realm, but there are individuals who are in schools across Clermont County   that if they see something as far as truancy   or if there's a teacher that may notice that that there's something a little off with one of the children, they would then report it to this care coordinator. It's not an employee of of CPS,   but what a lot of people don't know is that we receive,   TANF funds from the government. What are those are? What are those? TANF funds are go ahead. I'm sorry. It's No. No. No. It's the I didn't mean to interrupt. No. No. No. You're fine. Lots of acronyms, my father. Well, I was so excited about six months in. I read my very first   email that I knew exactly what all the acronyms   for. It is so hard. Six months in. Funding and involving   needing children. Okay.  

And   they,   we'd fund those positions in the school. We work and collaborate with the schools. To have those. Of course, they're not our employees,   but they're funded through some of our funding.   And those individuals   can then reach out to the families and say, hey. You know, some of the cases that that we've heard of are, you know, maybe the children come to school in the same clothes every day or maybe they're,   not clean.   And they can reach out because, really, it's about   all those parents are horrible. It's really should be about   why. What is happening?  

Now those those school coordinators, school   resource coordinators Resource coordinators. Coordinators.   They could maybe go to the home and find things that they're concerned about, they would call us. Okay. You know, maybe the condition of the house, things like that. But those care coordinators or school resource coordinators   can go to the home and really talk to them. Maybe it's a a their washing machine's broke. Maybe they fell behind on their water bills, and they're not able to take showers. And, you know, the good thing is is that they are still sending their kids to school, but   the bad thing is is that people are noticing that and making negative impressions in regards to it.  

Some people, if they see that child on the bus or they hear about a call directly to CPS, well,   that's something that, at that stage, we shouldn't be involved in. That's something that there's community resources.   There's resources out there where they can help with utility bills.   You know, we have that listing of resources that we can then give the we can communicate with that school coordinator.   You know, maybe there is we can put out there's a safety net organization in in Claremont County where all the leaders of these agencies communicate,   and we can put out, hey. Does anybody have a, you know, a a used washer and dryer that we can use? We have a family in need.  

You know, maybe their the the bed was broken or maybe they just got done with a,   bed bug issue and they had to get rid of all their furniture, and now they don't have anything.   So that's really a good frontline   to see. Now during the summer, obviously, we have camp counselors,   but the biggest issue in how we can get these families   connected with these resources   are for the the counselors   and the the coordinators   to know how to get in touch with those resources.   Families Children's First is also very active in Clermont County.   They are a collaboration   of agencies, again,   early education,   the library.  

We have, developmental disabilities as part of that group. The mental health board is part of that group.   The court, we have just so many,   education   department representatives   that are part of that, and they share   information with each other about, hey. We've got this resource going on, or we've got this activity coming up, or here's some respite for a family that's maybe dealing with an issue. We have families sometimes where you have maybe a child that has special needs, and they have other children as well. And they they can never have a break with the child with special needs, so therefore, it make it impacts their other children as well. So we have respite opportunities that we help through FCF fund.   But children services knows about that, and we can help the family get that stability   so it doesn't come to the point where we see that at risk that we need to actually get involved. So we take those calls all the time from those outside agencies   of, hey. This is what we're seeing.  

It could be that we're concerned enough that we say, you know what? You need to call the the line. You need to, you know, we need to maybe look at this a little closer. But sometimes it's just we're an information booth that we can give these outside,   agencies and outside counselors and coordinators   the information on how they can help those families so it doesn't get to the point of us. And some of our resources do go for to that.  

[00:41:27] Unknown:

I would say for school age children, schools are a great resource. They have lots of again, they have those resource coordinators   that can help hook them up. Help Me Grow is a wonderful,   thing for parents of young children to kind of help kids, make sure they're meeting their milestones, give them the support that they need.   And then there are a lot of community services agencies that help when people are struggling financially.   And and those are all things that keep families from coming to us because that's just   a relatively small need that they have and just a little extra support that they need. So I would definitely tell people of school age kids, reach out to those resource coordinators.  

With with mental health needs,   most of these schools anymore have have counselors in the school that are able to provide   mental health services   at school. So the parents who have struggle with transportation are able to get those services for their kids at school. So that's a great resource, but Help Me Grow for those younger children, and I think it's birth to three,   that they can reach out to Help Me Grow and see if they qualify for those services. It's a great way. All of our kids that come into custody that are babies and in that age group   refer we are required to be referred to Help Me Grow and just to make sure they're meeting their milestones. And maybe Help Me Grow is gonna come in and say they're meeting all of those milestones.  

But even with what I do, I don't know if I have to look up and check, is that really age appropriate?   And so, you know, it's a good resource for parents.  

[00:42:55] Unknown:

So and this is just kind of my curiosity.   You know, during the COVID lockdown, Jared, how domestic abuse went through the roof. Is summer kind of the same thing   for child protection services when the kids aren't in school anymore?   Do you see a spike in in cases?  

[00:43:12] Unknown:

No. Really? It's it's a downward turn in cases because the kids Because nobody knows. There's not. There aren't mandated reporters who see them daily. Yeah. Yeah.  

[00:43:23] Unknown:

Now I I   I I talk about this, but in the heat,   we get   our our domestic violence cases go through the roof. Yeah. I think all crime goes through the roof. Yes. So we we get it it seems everything that we get when it's super hot is our domestic violence cases.   So we we do get a lot of that. So   it has it used to be that there was a huge lull in the summer,   and we didn't get a lot of reports at all. Now it's not   as bad as it used to be. We we do get reports. But, you know, when COVID happened,   all of a sudden, we weren't getting any reports. Yeah. And that that's scary. Yeah. Because you know it's happening. Because you know that it is happening. It's not going away because they're not there's nobody there. But,   you know, and that's when we're looking at a case where we have concerns with the family, that's one of the things we look at. What kind of access do these kids have to a mandate report? We know kids five and under are more vulnerable. Mhmm.  

Number one, they can't protect themselves.   And number two, they are not as visible   to mandated reporters.   So so we consider that when we're looking at a case and whether a case needs additional services.   It's it's who they're visible to. So,   the word is getting out there. So we we don't get the lull we used to get in the summer,  

[00:44:43] Unknown:

but it but it is lower because they're not in school. Yeah. Right. That's interesting. I mean, it's terrible, but it's Right. It's an interesting stat. It's something that people need to understand that that,  

[00:44:52] Unknown:

neglected children and abuse doesn't just stop on the last day of school. Yeah.   You know, and and another thing is in addition to the access to the mandatory, we have to look at their the child's ability to verbalize   what the harm is.   And, you know, we we take that into consideration. And, also, we encourage people even if they're if they don't know, if it's enough,   that's not for them to decide.   Anyone can call the hotline.   They need to leave it to us to and and and and staff to   look at it and see whether or not it rises to the level. Because from our perspective, we would rather them call. And then when we're getting a call in,   even if we don't take action because it's not enough a prior call, if we get another call down the road that has additional information,   we will look back to see   how many calls have we had in regards to these individuals. And,   so we always, you know, we always take the stance of we'd rather try and fail than not do anything, and that's really what we want the community to do as well. We would rather them call than not. So  

[00:45:58] Unknown:

The one other thing that I would say to people if you're looking at, a situation on whether to report or not, I would say if you're on the fence, report it. But one thing I would say, if there is an immediate danger,   kids out wandering   by a pond, call law enforcement. That's who's gonna get there fastest.   They're ultimately,   report to us, and you can they can make both reports. But if it's an immediate situation where a child is at risk right now, I would highly encourage people to call law enforcement.  

[00:46:29] Unknown:

So I think this will probably be a good segue into the levy. Okay.   Can you talk about funding? Like, how what is your main sources of funding? Do you go after grants? Like, what how does that work? We do have grants. The majority of our grants, well, really right now, all of our grants come from state and federal funding.  

[00:46:46] Unknown:

We have   about we get federal funding. We get state funding. We get a certain chunk of money   that comes from the state   to use towards operating   of of our,   of department of job and family service in general and CPS specifically.   The feds do the federal government does about the same thing, and then they have specialized grants that come in that are earmarked only for certain types of programs that we can't use on just whatever we need. Mhmm.   So but 30%   of our funding   comes from the levy from Clermont County. It's been an existence the existing levy. Yes. The existing levy. We've had the levy in Clermont County since the eighties,   and it's been always the same amount. There's been,   you know but the problem has been is that over time, inflation   and, actually, the effective rate of the levy.  

So the funding from the federal and the state government   is used for   operation,   for program operation,   such as, like, what we said with putting, school resource officers or not school resource officers, but school coordinators   in the schools,   us being able to refer to,   treatment for families and for kids,   things such as that.   What we use the levy for   is the placement costs.   Whenever it comes to the situation where we have to have a child that is removed from the home and placed elsewhere,   that incurs cost, obviously, because   even foster homes that are you know, cost money, the foster families   need to have some sort of   of of money to be able to care,   for the children.  

We have group homes that we have to have children be placed in sometimes, and and sometimes the child has   extensive   needs, they have to go into a residential facility.   All of those placements cost. And so CPS has been very dedicated to   using the money from the levy for those purposes.   It's limited in the statute. The statute actually says that it has to be for the supported children's services,   programs, and placement of children, place related to the current levy says. That's what the levy says. That's really in the in the language of the of the ORC. Okay. So,   And is that true of the the levy you're trying to pass? It's the same it's this under the same code. It's under the same lawful authority.  

And so we've been very,   very diligent in making sure that that money from the levy is used for only placement related costs.   And what some people don't really understand is that,   yes, there is some money that comes from the state.   Around 1,800,000.0,   I think, was the last year's money To that to children services In Claremont. That in Claremont that is that can be used for many different programs.   One of such   is the possible placement of children.   However, if we use all of those funds   for the placement of children only   to kinda mitigate the cost of the placement,   then we can't use any of those funds for any of the other programs that we've been talking about as far as how we can offer support and and services to families to keep children in their homes.  

So we have been forced to because of the cost of of placement   to use some of that money to help mitigate the the deficit that's created by the increased cost.   But the levy money has been used consistently   for placement related costs,   and the levy right now is is is a little over 3,600,000.0,   but our placement cost last year was over 7,500,000.0.   Okay.   So when we're talking about you know, I've I've heard some crass comments about you know, it's the it's the first thing that these government agencies do is that they just come to the taxpayers and ask for more money.   They don't think about cutting costs.  

Where do I cut levy placement costs? Where where do I cut that?   We have,   you know, our group homes, our average cost of a group home right now is is almost,   $570   a day. Yeah. And,   it our children aren't in a group home. If they're removed, they're not in a group home just for a day. Right. You know, we'd have cost that, we have children right now that their residential placement cost over a thousand dollars   a day. And,   so that's how it it it it ramps up those costs every year is that 7.5   over $7,500,000.   And this year, we anticipate it's gonna be even more because the daily cost of a placement keeps going up. And the other thing that these that the placements are asking is for   additional funding   over top of their normal cost per day   for,   one on one supervision because there's some children that have such specialized need that they need to actually have a staff assigned to that child   every day. Well, that's obviously an additional cost and an an addition to that. Those are the types of of funds that are needed from the levy for those types of actions to happen. So, yes, we do get funding from the federal government. We do get funding from the state, but the levy is what we need and what we use when it's placement related costs.  



[00:52:10] Unknown:

And what do you attribute to these to the rising costs of placement and and all of that? I'm sorry.  

[00:52:17] Unknown:

Well, I can I'll start, and then, obviously, you can fill in. You're the expert on that. So what we have seen, the primary issue is that every placement,   they they run a business. You know, if you think about it, you know, even foster agencies,   it's a business.   The group homes are a business. They have to pay their staff. They have to make sure that their facility is set up to be able to care for these children with special needs,   and and special behaviors.   And   their cost and their belief of what that service is worth   continues to rise.  

And as there's other agencies that are willing to pay that exorbitant price,   why would they come down   for a smaller agency such as us? And the other issue is that the federal government,   when they're talking about how much money they're going to allow us to give us   for these placement costs, they set a cap per day   of how much they're willing to pay. Well, the placements, though, are not limited to that cap. We're only limited by, you know, whatever they decide that they wanna charge us. Mhmm.   So whatever the cap of the federal government is, whether it be a $140   a day, whether it be $200 a day, anything over that, we have to cover the cost of in order to be able to make sure that we're putting children   in the right places.  

Now several people, we were just at a a talk with an at the Batavia trustee meeting.   And one of the, voters that were there, it was a great question,   was that, well,   why don't   you have the federal government   tell them that they can't ask. How do you how do you get that cost down? The problem is is that you're you're fighting against a fundamental property right. If you run a business,   how is it that how would you feel if the federal government or the state government came in and told you, hey. Listen. Your business is only worth this much per day. Mhmm. I mean, that's a fundamental   property right in a business person's right that people are not gonna wanna infringe upon.  

So that's gonna be a hard sell, you know, for the federal government to look at these placements and say, hey. Listen. You know, we're only gonna pay you this much, and that's all this children services are gonna pay you. Right. That's gonna take a long time, and that's gonna be a huge debate.   So it's it's unfortunate that there's just no way that we're going to be able to   see that in the near future as far as that type of capping that would occur. And   if you think about it, we're finding these placements, and we want these placements to be the best that they can be for our children. We're taking responsibility for these children. We want to care for them and make sure that they're where they need to be. We wanna make sure that their medical care is to the level it needs to be in the home, that their supervision,   that their living conditions are good. So how can we put a cap   on   cost of that and that,   peace of mind that when we have a child that's going into this this other home, that they're gonna be cared for in the way that we want them to be cared for.  

Another,   constituent   said that, well, it sounds like we need to just build our own   facility here in Clermont County to put all of the children.   The problem with that is is that the   amount of money that it costs to run this type of facility,   you have to have medical care twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You have to have the the appropriately trained staff. You have to have the actual building.   So let's just say and just guessing, you know, I'm I'm not anywhere close. But let's just say and guessing that it costs $30,000,000   to build a facility. Okay? Come to the chassis. Exist in the workplace? Well, they do have facilities. Yes. And Just out of curiosity. Yeah. There are some,   counties that have like, Trimble County is the first one that pops to my mind that they have a children's home. Now is it a a large enough children's home to take all of their children? No. It's not. In in our county, we had 230,   I think, eight last year, something around there.  

It's on the fact sheet, and I'm I'm blanking right now.   But it's it's about 238   children that were taken that we had to place last year. It's 2283. 283. I'm I'm loud. Look at that. Your boat yourself. 283.   I was pretty close.   So but,   you know, to build a facility that big to house that many children,   you know, like I said, I'm probably not even close. I'm not a building expert. So I need to be almost like a small 30 mil yeah. Or, you know Or no medical small hospital even, you know, because of the special needs that we have. We would have to have a medical staff twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. We would have to have specialized,   furniture   and and and rooms   in that place. So let's just say that we build that, then we have to have the staff and the operating costs every year. So   what it to build our own, it would look like that we would have to come to the taxpayers,   get that initial money to build the facility, and then we would have to have probably another   $9,000,000,   $10,000,000   maybe to run it every year. Mhmm. So to have that type whereas the facilities that already exist now don't get me wrong. The pie in the sky, I would love it if our kids were here and close to their families and we could do something like that.  

But the reality is is that there's there's places that exist that have been doing it, that are experts at doing it,   and it's a well oiled machine.   And they have a proven track record of doing it the way that they that we want them to be able to do it to care for our children.   And they're able to spread the cost over the entire facility   that,   other jurisdictions   are contributing to for their children that are placed there,   that it enables us to get a better rate per day than us being responsible for it at all times.   So would it be a great pie in the sky kinda thing if if money fell down from the sky and we were able to do that? Yes. But would it be fair to the taxpayers necessarily?  

I don't think so because we would constantly be coming for more operating costs, more operating costs. Whereas right now, we're trying to find the best feasible way to keep our children safe,   but also have that amount of money that we need to put them where they need to be or place them where they need to be, where they can be safe until we can, get them back reunified with their families.  

[00:58:41] Unknown:

So so my   my part of that is   it's such a complicated   question because first of all, it's only the small percentage of our kids that are in this highest end facility.   Any kids that can be with a relative or what we call kinship, which could be a teacher or a neighbor or someone the child has a relationship with, that's where we want them to be. Any kids that can be in a family like setting in a foster home, that's where we want them to be. So it's a small percentage of our kids that are in these really high end facilities, and they have really high end needs.   And   a few years ago, the federal government passed the Family First Prevention Services Act,   and that really has impacted what Dottie's talking about of those requirements   of twenty four hour nursing,   medical care, all of those things. So it significantly   increased their ability to provide those services, and they have to do that. So what we used to have   group homes where it was more of a family like setting, but a group of people, now they have to have all these higher level care.  

Then you add in the workforce   crisis.   So now they're having to pay these people a lot of money to be there, which is what gets there. And then some of these kids have some really significant mental health needs   that, you know, they do require all of that. So it's it's a combination   of all of these things.   And and when I say I know these price tags are really high,   but   I I don't know that   with all that's required   that there's a cheaper way to do that. And we certainly   and more cost effective because, again, like I said earlier, I I no. Like, talk about being cheap with kids, but we have to be fiscally responsible with our money. It's Right. It's taxpayer money, and we recognize that. What even the money that comes from the federal government is is all taxpayer money, and we need to be responsible about about that. So, you know, we really do look at that. When I look at a contract and whether I'm gonna agree to a rate, I look at what they're charging every county around me, and I'm not willing to pay more than Hamilton County is paying because they're not giving different services. So   we have those conversations, but there's so much that goes into it.  

And, you know, it it is a small percentage of our kids that are those high dollar amounts. You know? I don't I don't want people to get the impression that foster parents are making   making all kinds of money having kids because honestly,   they lose money. If you're a foster parent and you're doing it the right way, you are not making money off of these kids. And I can't imagine  

[01:01:13] Unknown:

the people that work  

[01:01:15] Unknown:

at some of these facilities that you're talking about are raking in the dollars either. No. They're not. And a lot of I think that they're called to that profession, many of them.   It really does take a special   person to work in facilities with children   that may have,   you know, explosive disorders as far as that they reach out violently,   that they're not used to being held accountable   so that,   or because their diagnosis, they're not capable of being held accountable.   It's a special calling. That's why we try to do what we can to make sure that our employees   in c in CPS and all of our employees really understand how appreciative, even though they don't hear it from their clients Mhmm. Or their family, how much we appreciate them. Because if we if we didn't have them, it would be chaos,   really. It would be. And families would not be able to get the services that we just need. Anne was saying about how the high cost is such a small percentage of   what,   the children that we place.  

But just in general, when we're looking at that number of how many that we placed last year   compared to how many kids we actually also help in other ways and families that we help in other ways. You know, we were talking about the the breakdown of of the money   where 30% of it is really used for the placement costs where the levy is concerned. That other money, that other 70 that's funded through the federal government and then and the state government,   through their funding and their grants,   we had over 1,332   maltreatment   investigations   last year for children. That's around because we had some,   children that were duplicate calls. We had about a 100 and or 1,172   children that we had contact and families that are part of those children   that we had contact.  

That's where that other money   goes to,   that's separate from the levy and that's separate from us actually removing a child and taking them and and,   and placing them in another safe, secure place.   So when we're talking about the the percentages, I just wanted to add that that, you know, some people may think that, oh, well, 200 people or 200 kids are the only ones that you even dealt with.   Absolutely not. That's what we're talking about as far as the population that we're gonna be using the levy money for   and   versus the amount of children and families that we have contact with and help and provide services to   separate from that population.  



[01:03:42] Unknown:

How does,   in terms of placement and, just, like, budgets and expenditures, how does Claremont compare to surrounding counties?  

[01:03:52] Unknown:

Well, obviously I mean, obviously, Hamilton's gonna be Right. It's gonna be a lot bigger. We are comparable, I think, to other counties of our size is what I would say. Something. Yeah. They'd,  

[01:04:01] Unknown:

have tiny. Go to us. Town. Is true. Tiny. Yeah. Yeah. We're we're more confident. Butler's a little bigger than us. Okay. Warren County's a little smaller than us, but we're we're kind of right in there with Butler and Warren. We're actually   Butler, Warren, and Claremont Clermont are actually, in the children services world, considered metro counties.   And and Hamilton County, Cuyahoga,   Franklin are major metros. Mhmm. So with our population,   we are up there, and we're pretty comparable with,  

[01:04:31] Unknown:

right in there with Butler and Warren, which are fairly similar in size. And it's interesting that you asked that. That was also a a question when they were talking about as far as the cost of placement   comparable to other counties. And they did a survey recently. It was through the organization   that,   protect and services,   agencies, Ohio organization.   They did a survey, and they wanted to talk about that increase in placement costs.   And we're around   since 2020, which was the, start of this levy cycle that we're currently in that ends in '20 at the end of of next year.   That   is,   we're up about 63%   cost is where we are in in in our county. But there are other counties that responded to that that are up a 140,   a 150%.  

Inflation doesn't happen. Well, right. It it doesn't. And, obviously,   not all those counties are all levy counties, but, you know, the the the cost has to be   incurred and taken care of in some way   because   we're mandated to take care of children, and we're mandated to ensure that if there's a child that's at risk, that they are taken away from the situation that they're at risk in.   And so we   have to pay those costs in some way, and it's the same thing that's being faced all over Hamilton County. It's not like anybody can stand up and say, well, it's because Claremont County is not doing it   right. We're facing this all over the state, and they're all that's probably one of the biggest topics of every one of our meetings is what are you doing? What are you doing? What can we do to make this better?  

And, you know, we ourselves in the county with the levy, and I know that you could probably,   do the math in your head, but   we ask for it. No. I'm I'm not either. I have a fiscal department that helps me. I wrote a podcast. I'm not a mathematician. Don't don't don't say that. But,   we have when it comes to our,   our levy,   like we said, it was around 3,600,000.0   is what we're getting. The effective rate of our eight mills levy that was originally   approved by the the voters in 2020,   the renewal for that   is,   only point four six now. It's a point eight mills levy, but we're only having an effective rate of point four six.   Now   could we have you know, when we were first talking about, do we need a levy? Do we not? What do we do?  

We could have potentially went after a replacement. Now, obviously, that's an issue now because of the of the Well, I'm gonna ask you about those. Yeah. And that no. That's fine.   But it would have cost an additional almost $14   per   household,   you know, per 100,000,   you know, for a year.   And we thought that that was irresponsible, that we have a responsibility too to figure out if there's other ways that we can help.   And that's how we came to really the and, again, I hate using this word cheapest,   but more responsible   as the trustee used the other day in the meeting.  

A more responsible, more   reasonable choice   was doing a slight increase of point two.   That gets us to   an effective rate that's still less than the original   point eight mills that was approved by the voters,   but it it it infuses us with an additional,   1,300,000.0   that's going to add to us taken away from that deficit.   We also chose that because we because during we were when we were in COVID, we were able to build up a little bit of a reserve   during those years of COVID because there wasn't as much work being done as far as we were working behind the scenes, but not work as far as having children placed in homes.   And so but we wanted to look at, okay. Here is our reserve.  

And over the next five years and and not even counting this year because we're still in the prior legal levy cycle.   When based on where we are, are we gonna run out of reserves? And   they have no money left to to place children.   And,   so that's what we looked at. And we thought if we're gonna be using anywhere from a million to 2,000,000 out of our reserves,   then we need to make sure that we're asking for enough that we're not using all of our reserves every year to cover those costs.   You know, the other things that we're looking at is trying to   get out a better campaign to get more local foster homes,   and,   also trying to improve placement with families. You know, we're trying to improve these programs so that we're placing children we think it's better for children to be local,   but it also helps us in the long run for fiscally being responsible.  

So we wanted to make sure that that we were making the choice that was   explainable   to the voters and to the taxpayers,   but also show that we're not asking for the sky. We're not asking for the stars. We're not asking for money to be able to put money into reserves every year. We wanna keep, you know, the reserves to a level that we don't have to worry about, you know, running out mid cycle. Because what happens when you run out mid cycle? When you don't have money to place children, what do you do? Do you go back to the taxpayers and saying, sorry. We went for renewal. We really would have should have gone for an increase, and now we have to come to you for a new levy. And then now we have more than one levy for children's services that that that's up, you know, or do we go   to the commissioners and ask for money for general fund? How are they supposed to give us all their money in general fund Mhmm. For placement of children when they have other services in the county? We're not the only department in the entire county.  

So we we wanted to make sure that that everyone understood that when we felt long and hard in regards to what amount and the amount that we're asking for that slight point two increase   is not going to cover the entire deficit. Mhmm. We know that we have to cover that deficit with other monies,   but it's going to help us ensure   that we can survive   the next levy cycle, which is until 2031  

[01:10:40] Unknown:

Okay. Is the next levy cycle as the end of the When you say levy cycle, because I'm not quite familiar with that term. So there is a time period in which you cannot go to the voters for levies. Is that It's when you run on a levy and you,  

[01:10:53] Unknown:

receive permission from the voters to have that levy, it's either for a five year, ten year, could be a one year,   just depends on on the different types of levy. The children's services levy is a five year levy,   so it's set to end next year. Okay. And then the next levy cycle would then begin on 2027,   and it would go through 2031.   But we only have so many opportunities to go to the voters to try to educate them and tell them what it what it's for and put it on the ballot.   So we can't wait until the levy's gone Right. Before we come to them and say, see. We told you we were gonna run out of money. Yeah. We can't place children right now.   So we we can't wait that long. We had to start the conversation now and ask for the voters' understanding now.  

So Did you I'm sorry. I didn't know anything to add? No. Okay.  

[01:11:44] Unknown:

So I'd like to ask about and I'd I'd actually did a podcast on this, and I can't remember the different  

[01:11:51] Unknown:

the differences between these, but there's replacements, renewals. Can you talk about that and and what this levy is? I can talk about it briefly. Anne has been part of this for a really long time, so she's gonna add in. But, I've learned over this this, levy discussion.   There's a replacement,   which means that you would run a levy   for the same millage, the point eight,   but it's to capture   all the property tax increases that have been missed since the last approval.   And I think you're talking replacement. And did I say replacement? They all start with r's and Yeah. No. I was replacement  

[01:12:27] Unknown:

is the replacement is the one that will capture   the new property level. So we So the millage stays the same. Yes. But but you're capturing it as of today,   not as of when you ran it before. So it would be an increase   because,   it's the current.  

[01:12:44] Unknown:

It's a it's it's And that's a renewal. That's a replacement. Replacement. Mhmm. So that's just a having trouble with this in the podcast. Renewal  

[01:12:53] Unknown:

is we're just renewing what you've already got. You're gonna be paying the same amount, but we're not re we're not capturing it as of the value today. So it would be the effective mileage. Yes. The point four six that we That's the point four six on we're getting point four six   on a point eight mill levy Right. Because we did renewals. Mhmm. Right. And so it never recalculated.   And   and that's that's the difference between the two.  

[01:13:19] Unknown:

And this is a replacement or This is a renewal with a point two two  

[01:13:24] Unknown:

increase. Okay. Yes. So it's gonna take our effective millage   from point if it passes from point four six  

[01:13:33] Unknown:

to point six six Which is still approximately 200. We're bad at math. That's fair. We don't do this for a living, but But what I can tell you gonna be below Less than point a. Than a point a. So if we ran a replacement  

[01:13:46] Unknown:

instead of what we're running for, a replacement would be more and would cost the taxpayers more. Right. And that would just be completely replacing the old levy with a new levy. It would be a a replacement.  

[01:13:59] Unknown:

It At the It replaces it in that it's the same level of a point eight, but it's replacing it because it's capturing   all the new property values and all the new property Right. Versus  

[01:14:12] Unknown:

what we're looking at now, which is the the all what what it was in 2020. It would take the effective mill from the current point four six to point eight Yes. Is essentially what it would do. So it would be a bigger increase than what we are asking for. And just to because, again, I get all these mixed up in my head. What kind of levy is this again? It's a renewal   plus a point two increase.  

[01:14:36] Unknown:

Okay.   Renewal with a point two increase. Yes.   Well, let's just talk about brass tacks and how much is this gonna cost a taxpayer? So per 100,000  

[01:14:45] Unknown:

a year for home value, it's gonna be 23.33.   Now when you look at the levy language on the ballot,   the way that the,   secretary of state sets down, it is rounded to the nearest dollar. So because it's 23.33,   it's gonna show up as 23.   Okay. But we don't want anybody to think that we're hiding that 33¢   some place. So it's it's it's,   23.33   is the information that we've received,   and but it's gonna show up as 23 on the ballot, and that's per year per $100,000  

[01:15:20] Unknown:

value of a home. So 20 roughly, we'll just call it $23 $23.33.   Mhmm. Per 100,000 of of your home value. Yeah. Per year. Per year. It's about $7  

[01:15:30] Unknown:

for a $100,000   home, about an additional $7 a year Okay.  

[01:15:37] Unknown:

Per 100,000. So if you vote yes, you would essentially be paying $7 more Per $100,000.  

[01:15:42] Unknown:

Thousand dollars. Okay. Yeah.  

[01:15:45] Unknown:

That makes sense. And if there's anybody out there that knows math, make sure you're checking all of our math. Right. Yes. We are now. We are not math people. We're social services people.  

[01:15:54] Unknown:

But I will say it took me years  

[01:15:57] Unknown:

to keep the renewal replacement levy language. I didn't even know it was a thing. I can't even remember why I looked into it. Because in the podcast There was  

[01:16:06] Unknown:

legislation that was, yes, to get rid of replacement levy. Right. And those and and the language on the replacement levies had to do with schools is really what they were were looking at as replacement.   And I think, you know, I'm not gonna give an opinion one way or the other because to be fair, if we had run a replacement,   it would have been a lot easier to to say, hey. It's just a replacement. It's still gonna be point eight. Yeah. But we didn't think that it was fair to the voters because   it's it's kind of I don't wanna say sneaky. It's not sneaky because please don't say that, politicians. I'm sorry. It's not, but it's it is it's it's it's difficult for me to say. Straightforward. It isn't because you're saying, oh, it's just replacement. It's still 0.8 mil, But it would've cost something like 13 something dollars more per 100,000 a year, and,   you know, it it just seemed  

[01:16:56] Unknown:

it it was just too much. At the very least, I would say, I think they should call them different much different things because replacement renewal in it. Right. I mean, if you're If you read the ballot language, you're gonna understand, but it's a lot to read and a lot to understand.   And but,   but, yes, it can be confusing,   and I think that's what   the state legislature's  

[01:17:18] Unknown:

issue with it is and why they're talking about Well, and I think people could rid of it. People could potentially use it in misleading ways. I mean, if you say this is gonna replace it and you don't really know what that means. Right. Or could we put on our signs? If we had run it that way, could we put on the signs and said,  

[01:17:33] Unknown:

still point eight? Yeah. Exactly. But it's just not that's not the kind of campaign we wanted to run, and it's not a comment at all. Please no one think that we're commenting at all in regards to anything about,   school levies or anybody else's thought process.   But when we were trying to decide what we were going to do and what we were gonna ask for the commissioners for permission to do, we really took that into consideration, and we thought, yes. Is it gonna be a harder fought battle and harder to educate individuals on why it says the word increase? But in the grand scheme of things, this is less Yeah. Than if we had just gone for another option. You know, we also had other options of going   higher on our increase because if it says increase, my you know, the same campaign Yeah. You know, if it's a point four increase, a point five increase, it's still gonna say increase next to it. But we really wanted to be as conservative as we could with just getting enough money that we wouldn't deplete our levy reserve below the level that we needed it to be over the course of the of the levy cycle, which is that five years.  



[01:18:35] Unknown:

So this is   honestly just another one of I'm curious questions.   How do you even put a levy together? What is that process? Ugh.  

[01:18:46] Unknown:

Okay. So I'm new to this, and it's not I come from elected officials' offices,  

[01:18:51] Unknown:

because I'd I'd I'd worked in Hamilton County, the prosecutor's office. I did private practice, and then I went to Clermont County. I was I was lucky enough to come to Clermont County, which I love.   But we didn't have to deal with this kind of thing. You know, when you worked on on campaigns,   you were basically said, here's a list of of sign locations. Go put them out and, you know, things like that. So when we started talking about this, when I started really digging into the money and looking at the reserves and looking at, you know, what is our cost, and and we were going to these committee meetings and talking about   the, committee meetings as far as the the   state level   on placement cost crisis   and talking to to Anne and Tim Dick is the head of our fiscal administrative division.  

We'd how are we going to address this, and how is our the money being used,   and what kind of crisis are we ourselves facing? That's where it started the conversation.   And then we started doing,   presentations   to the commissioners.   And we did what I know in May,   with the commissioners and basically explained to them,   this is where we are. And then you have to do the calculations of, okay, what is our what is the very lowest that we can have in our reserves   and still be able to breathe at night.   I'm assuming the commissioners had questions for you. Of course, they did. Yes. Of course. You know? Because it's really Clermont County's levy.   So they had to approve it, and we had to go back to them a couple of times to to explain,   you know, in an open forum about, you know, this is why we need this levy.  

So it was a lot of first   grassroots   conversations of really what do we need, where are we, and then we put together a presentation for the commissioners to educate them   on where are we and what do we need going forward.   And then it's, you know, the   the   the stress of, you know, are we   are we putting right forth the the right numbers? Are we right double checking, triple checking, making sure that that we're where we need to be? And then also trying to update everybody because what the numbers were at the end of last year aren't where the numbers are now either. You know, we have increase in cost even,   in trying to get that information. And then it's trying to find a we had to identify an honorary committee chair, which is, commissioner Bachelor.  

And then we had to find a committee chair,   and we wanted to make sure that we found people that understood,  

[01:21:22] Unknown:

the need and that for the protection of children. I imagine for a commissioner, if you're gonna put yourself on a committee for a levy to asking people to increase taxes, you gotta really believe in it. Absolutely. Because that can be used against you if Right.  

[01:21:35] Unknown:

For opponents and things like that. We're very we're very grateful that that, she was supportive us of us. And anybody can go back and watch our presentations that we made and and the questions that were asked and also the comments from the commissioners. And commissioner Batcher was very supportive. And that's not to say that that, commissioner Painter is not supportive. He is very he voted for us to be on the levy   on for the election. But,   but we were very grateful that she that she agreed to be our honorary   chair. And then, Barb Bruner is our committee chair, and, many people know her because of her work with, the board of education,   but also through her work of caring for children over decades,   really, in the community.  

And, so we're very grateful.   And because I have not had any   education or really any experience in running a levy, I relied on,   Anne. And then as I indicated, Tim, who's the head of our administration department,   because they have been through so many levee levies. And then just navigating   the political world is just a foreign experience.   And, you know And at the local level, it's wild, isn't it? It is. Well and you really do understand why so many people, unfortunately and, again, this is not a political statement, but you do understand why people are not so readily stepping forward Mhmm. To run for   political office because   it's so cutthroat, and you have to constantly worry about, you know, who are you gonna go talk to and who's not. And then just the basics of calling out people that you work with all the time Mhmm. On a personal or professional level.  

And maybe you call them to see if they wanna be on a committee,   and   they don't want anything to do with it because it has the word levy in it. Yeah. And it doesn't matter what it's for. You know? But I understand that. It it's part of the political,   landscape   that we're in right now, but learning how to, we're still learning. Yeah.  

[01:23:30] Unknown:

I I do think that  

[01:23:32] Unknown:

How many by the way, how many levies have you been through?  

[01:23:35] Unknown:

Are you a seasoned vet? I I've done several of them. I I I don't remember. I try to put them out of my mind after I mean, it's gotta be stress. I I   remember when I was pregnant with my first child standing in the pouring rain on election day Yeah. Like,   with a sign in my hand, and she's 29 now. So that's how long I've been,   working on them. But, you know, I am passionate about this work. I think this is very important. We we need to have the money to support our kids and our families.   I also understand we have to be responsible. This is not our money. This is taxpayers' money, and I really and truly do understand that. I pay taxes myself, and I want the money that I pay to be used responsibly.   So I think when you're getting prepared for a levy, we really do have to be very responsible in saying, what do we really need? Not what's our pie in the sky and do we want would be fabulous if we had because   that's not fair to go to taxpayers for. What do we need to support our families? And and I take that very seriously.  

Dottie takes it very seriously. I know our commissioners take it very seriously.   So   it it is that balancing of, yes, this is my passion, and I see the importance because I do the work day in and day out.   But I also know we have to be responsible with that money. And, you know, I'm the one in my office that has to sign off on things to help pay for things, and I'm the one that that has to agree to contract rates and things like that. I never take that lightly because it's not my money. Mhmm. It's the taxpayers' money, and I know that every single day.  

[01:25:10] Unknown:

So  

[01:25:11] Unknown:

what happens if it fails? What is it a nightmare scenario, or what what do you guys do? Well, I mean, we're going to keep on keep on, obviously. We're still gonna do whatever we're needing to do.   The failure of the levy is something that represents for us that is it going to be catastrophe   tomorrow?   No. Is it even gonna be a catastrophe   next year? No.   When we are looking at us hitting critical status   is going to be mid cycle   when we have   no reserves to go to,   or we've gone way below where we wanted our reserves to be, and we have   we don't know what else to do to be able to pay for this. We don't have a choice that we have to go to the commissioners,   but where's the commissioner's gonna be finding $7,500,000   in the middle of our levy cycle?  

So it is critical, and   we have to place these children when we remove them. So the critical aspect of it that would hit even sooner than having to go to the commissioners   would be we would have to pull anything that's unrestricted,   any funds   that come from the federal or the state funds that are unrestricted as far as that they aren't earmarked for something specific,   we would have to pull to that. That means that we would have to stop other programs. That means those would be the programs that before they get child Right. Before well, or even child Or even child Yeah. Even when they come to child's protective services because we'd invest in the community to try to help families so they don't have to come to children's protective services. But then we also have programs. All those 130 you know, a 337   or whatever children it was that I said earlier,   and there's 1,170   something children and families that we deal with that we don't remove, you know, all of them aren't children that we remove,   that we offer treatment   and support and help maybe with their with their homes to get them to a place where they can be stable.  

Those are the programs that would immediately   have to be cut Yep. Unless it was earmarked specifically from funds.   Any of those kind of programs, that's where we would cut first. We would have to. And then   after that runs out, then we're at critical status, and we would have to then look at because we still have to remove the children that are at risk. We can't just leave them there.   But we would you know, where we would place them and all of that. All of that would have to be taken into consideration. It would just be it would be devastated at that point. It would absolutely be. Are there any examples across the state where this has happened to a a child protection service agency where they couldn't get the funding they needed and they had to,  

[01:27:52] Unknown:

like, I don't know, figure out what to do?  

[01:27:55] Unknown:

Are there I I don't I'm I know that there are some counties that and I cannot think of any of this off the top of my head. But what I will tell you is it impacts the entire county because children's services, that part of what we do is a mandated service.   So if we don't have the money to pay for it, the county has to come up with the money to pay for it. And, unfortunately,   that impacts other services that are important   but may not be mandated. And and What other services aren't mandated? Do you know? Throughout the county,   you know, honestly, I don't work with this commission, so I can't tell you what you are. I think it's just a broad  

[01:28:30] Unknown:

conversation in regards to because   we don't we're not funded through the general fund, like other county agent or other county services are. You know? And and I I am not an expert when it comes to that, so I I can't comment on it. But I do know that the general fund funds other departments in the county.   Well, if   a portion of our budget has to come from   how are we going to place these children,   then,   we do it through the levy. If we go to the commissioners, let's say that we have hit,   you know, critical mass and we are   we are out of money. We've cut all of our programs that's not mandated from the state and the federal government funds that aren't restricted. We've pulled those over, and we still can't don't have enough to pay for placement.  

If we go to the commissioners,   where are they going to get the fund? Because, you know, they don't have that kind of money in reserves. I don't I don't know. I can't comment on it.   But they But it's still gonna have to come from It's gonna have to come from somewhere. So so let's just say and I'm completely and totally guessing here. Let's just say that, you know, water department has some other programs that are not   mandated,   but that we offer as as extra to the community.   Would that be something that the commissioners would have to look at? I don't know, and I don't understand of that. And I'm not a commissioner, and I'm not commenting that that is not as important, but   the money has to come from some place. Yeah.  

So that's the kind of things that we're looking at if we hit that critical stage   mid cycle of not having enough money to cover whatever the placement costs are. Yeah. The the other thing that we're dependent upon  

[01:30:11] Unknown:

is is other budgets, federal budget. We we get funding from the federal government. Mhmm. We get funding from the state. So that budget impacts us too. So, you know,   governor DeWine   has made children and families a priority   more than any governor. And and I will say prior to governor DeWine,   Ohio funded children's services.   We were forty ninth in our funding in the country. Well, there's only 50 states. Mississippi was below us, and that was it.  

[01:30:39] Unknown:

On Mississippi. I feel like everybody beats up on Mississippi. That that They had that crickled or crickled or I. That's right. That's  

[01:30:47] Unknown:

right. So so that's that's where   Ohio was in their funding. Governor DeWine has had children and families   as a priority throughout his administration. So   we have   he has really funded programs to help the the placement crisis to   so that has been helpful to us.   Obviously, he doesn't have long left in his term. So those things impact us too, and that will   impact how critical this becomes depending on what happens with the state budget.  

[01:31:20] Unknown:

How do our,   I guess, local people at the in Columbus and in Washington,   do they seem to be,   I guess, attentive to child protection services? And  

[01:31:33] Unknown:

I'm If you don't wanna comment on that. Well, no. I can't I can't really comment on that. Anne, you've been in this position a lot longer than I have been, and I haven't had an opportunity to   to meet with them individual to, you know, to know. But I I mean, everyone that we've had contact with, it's not that they have any concerns or problems over wanting to help children. It's not like we can say, oh, they don't wanna help kids. You know? But They could be hard pressed upon anybody. They're like, no. I hate kids. We don't wanna do that. But or I want them to stay in in unstable homes. You know? It's it's so I think that they're very supportive of it. But I think that they,   you know,   like, when you're a director of an organization like mine, children's services is is one of my departments. It's so important, and it affects so many families and so many avenues of the of the county. But you have other departments too, and it's just the same as the commissioners.  

We know that the commissioners were just one   of the of the groups in our county. So when you take it to the state level then, how many departments do they have to be concerned about and making sure that there's money all these different places? So I don't envy them, their jobs at all in regards to what they have to focus on.   We have narrow vision because we understand   what this looks like for our community and for our children and for our ability of our our workers to be able to do what they need to do.   If you cut funding from other programs that we use to build families up and keep them safe in the home,   you're then going to result in our numbers for how many children have to be removed to go up. It's a vicious cycle, and it's one that we're hoping through all of these appearances that we're doing in conversations   that we get the vet voters to understand   that vicious cycle and then how   every time we go to the polls to make these kind of decisions, it has lasting impact on the entire community.  



[01:33:25] Unknown:

And I guess the I'm gonna try to phrase this as a question and not a statement. But the reason I ask that is is, you know, writing to congressmen and and your representatives work. So   let me figure out how to make this question not a statement. Would you say that if somebody listens to this and they're very, very  

[01:33:42] Unknown:

passionate about what the work you do, is it fruitful to contact congressmen and representatives? I think that open dialogue and communication is always a good thing. That's why we're doing these town halls, and that's why we're, you know, talking with you is   that there's I don't think that there's ever   truthful straightforward conversation and addressing concerns  

[01:34:02] Unknown:

is never a bad thing. Mhmm. Yeah. I think most of our representatives   wanna know what their constituents want and what's important to them. So if this is important, I would certainly say that that, it's important to let your representatives know that. Yeah.  

[01:34:17] Unknown:

Well, I'll be honest. I've run out of questions.  

[01:34:19] Unknown:

Okay.  

[01:34:20] Unknown:

But I wanna give you the floor. If there's something that we didn't touch on and you wanna talk about it, please do.   And let people know how they can get involved and help you do what you guys do. So I'll just give you the floor. So,  

[01:34:33] Unknown:

first, we just wanna thank you. But we really, really appreciate it. And, you know, this isn't something that that, you know, we knew that this wasn't a situation where we're gonna come in and just say one word and then and leave. We want people to ask questions. We want them to to understand   how important the money is and what the money is being used for.   And,   I think the biggest thing to to stress   is that   the misinformation   that's being passed around   is as soon as someone see hears the word levy, they shut down the conversation   or they make assumptions.  

One of the assumptions that I heard was that,   you know, that's the first thing that happens if they'd you know, they're coming up on a levy time, and they would just ask for more money rather than trying to figure out how it is that they can cut other spending. Well, we've spent a long time here talking to you about how   that's not really   possible given the work that we do. And if we do cut spending in other areas and take away from other areas, that just means our numbers for placement increases.   And that also puts children in dangerous situations because we only remove children if it's as as a last,   you know, a last event where we cannot leave the child where they are, that they're not gonna get the care that they need or they're in a dangerous situation.  

And why would we ever wanna cut programs that put children in more danger that would result in them? And we can't always get to every child.   So I think that that's a very disingenuous statement when people make that, when they don't know   really what it is. They don't know that, you know, it's not it's not general fund that that funds us. It is the levy, and it's the state and federal funds that we get.   And also that we agonized   over what decision to make in regards to this levy and what our thought process was.   And also the fact that, you know, we heard just the other day that from an a partner agency, somebody that works with a partner agency, well, we heard that the reason you're getting a levy is because you're gonna put in a new computer system   completely and totally false. Well, how do you think those spin up? We don't know, but I I think that it's the the levy. I think it's just the the word levy and all the negative talk now about levies and property taxes and things like that, that people just come up and it's so much easier   to believe the misinformation.  

And just like we were talking about with that sensationalism when somebody's ranting on Facebook about how horrible children's services is. It's so much easier to bet to jump up on that negative bandwagon   than to actually take the moment to to ask the question   or to learn about what it is and what we use.   And like I said, we have been very I've I've looked in these conversations that we've had. How do we use these funds from the levy? Where, you know, where are these monies going? And it's to placement related cost. It is it is dedicated to placement related costs.   And,   it's important that the that the voters and the and the people understand that.  

And   that if they want to reach out, we're on Facebook with Keep Clermont kids safe.   We're on Instagram,   Twitter, and and and,   TikTok because we know that the best way to reach people now is not necessarily through mailers that just get thrown in the and and that's that's money that that, you know, for the committee that's I'll be honest about three of those things in the past. Yeah. And I get that, and we understand that. And it's even not just you know, we do have signs because I don't know if you had an opportunity. Is there signs? That was a question. I don't know if I've seen a sign. So we have we had very limited budget because we're not like other   committees where you can, use we don't use children's services funds to run a levy like some other agencies are able to do. We can't do that.  

We also can't do it on, county time. If we're talking levy, even if it's just to educate,   we take vacation time to do that, because it's not it's not for the taxpayers to to pay us while we're doing that.   So we've put up signs. We we had a limited budget in order to get to the signs that we could put up,   and we're you know? But we also are very hesitant. We're trying to be very strategic or or actually responsible   about just we don't wanna just throw signs up anywhere. We don't wanna just put them up in in in in spaces, blank spaces everywhere. And it's not a comment on other people. It's not. I need to keep telling people that because I I live in this community, and I love most of the people that you mental. I know.  

[01:39:05] Unknown:

This is mental. Stop seeing them everywhere. No. No. No. No. I I would never do that. We we love mental health or just a joke. We, you know, so we'd this isn't a disparaging comment. It's just that we're trying to be,  

[01:39:15] Unknown:

respectful.   The whole thing we're trying to be respectful of. And also   the reality of, you know, we're gonna put,   you know, people who want to put signs in their yard. They're not always on the main roads. You know, you'd have to go off the main road to see, but we know that that person that has that sign in their yard really cares about our issue. And we're hoping that that's the the vision that's getting out.   As our committee chair,   Rob Bruner says, when you see a sign in somebody's yard,   it's something personal to them. Mhmm. And, you know, so we're trying to be respectful of people. We're also be trying to be respectful of the community and not just throw up signs everywhere.   We will put some bigger signs in some of the bigger areas as we get closer. But you also have to think that, you know, over this time, people are cutting grass. They don't wanna be cutting grass. The state workers don't wanna be cutting around those signs.  

So we're trying to be respectful, and you get so many signs up even though I will say our signs are super cute. Are they? Super cute. I'll show the the same design that's on our fact sheet. Yeah. Oh, nice. Is on. It's they're super cute, but it really embodies   what we're hoping that people understand is that our our main goal is to try to keep families unified. Mhmm. There's two kids and a and a dog. We have, you know, everybody   has when you think of a family, usually think of of a pet, but it's also,   kids that are that are happy and sustained, you know, in a sustained situation. So we wanted to kinda embody that in our image   on the things. They're super cute. We would love everybody to have one. Where can somebody get one? Well, they can,   contact the they can email the committee,   at, keep claremont kids safe,   @gmail.com.  

And they could,   also send a message on Facebook as well or through Instagram. They can get signs,   as well. And,   you know, we're happy if anybody wants to put some up. We'll put a few up in in main areas where people can see. We've got a few up already, big ones.   But we really know that   the most important thing out of this this levy   is the education.   You know, educating people on you know, Anne comes to our talks, and she'll be at most of our town halls or someone from CPS,   will be there to to answer questions about this is what we do. This is what we care about.   You know, and and then also to answer their questions on how we use the money,   and then the the spreading of that word. Because then if it's something that I'm convinced of and I'm I'm in favor of, I'll share that with someone else. And that, I think, more means more. At least that's the decision that we made that it means more than just sending out that mailer that somebody's gonna throw away or a sign that somebody's gonna take down as soon as the grass is cut or that they use for target practice or something like that. So, you know, we wanted to use the limited we had very limited funds   on things that, you know, we thought meant something and could spread the information more than anything else.  

Because   if something happens and we're not gonna we're gonna we're not gonna say at this point that if it fails, but if something happens and   for some reason this levy fails,   we have no choice but to come back again.   And this would be the start, the baseline education that we're sharing with individuals,   about that. It's important to us that individuals are understanding   why we have this levy and what we're using the money on and why it is so critical that we have this very slight increase,  

[01:42:54] Unknown:

per family. Yeah. I think the final thing that I would say is, first of all,   look at our history. We we don't run increases. We we've not we don't have a history of doing that.   Again, we take it very seriously.   It's a lot to ask. We understand that.   I hope that voters will support it. I hope that they will become educated and understand why.   And I appreciate them taking the time to listen and to understand what the needs are. And, hopefully, after they've done all that, they recognize that   we are very fiscally responsible with the money that we get, and we take this very seriously. It's hard for us to ask for an increase, but we really do believe it's necessary to meet the needs of our kids and families. And so, hopefully, they'll support us. And do you wanna run through where your town halls are gonna be, the upcoming town hall? Yes.  

[01:43:42] Unknown:

I just   sent sent it. So,   the other,   the other thing, I think it's really interesting. Even if anybody wants to, as as Anne said, goes back and looks at our history. If you go back just to the presentation that was before the board of trust the board in Clermont County back in 2020   when they were running the the the, levy in 2020.   The request then was for $24  

[01:44:06] Unknown:

and something per 100,000 per year. That was in 2020. Yeah. Even with the slight increase now because the effective rate is so low, it's still lower than when they approved it Yeah.  

[01:44:11] Unknown:

In   of rate is so low, it's still lower than when they approved it Yeah. In 2020.   And that's things that people don't   recognize that, you know, that's what's happening. Oh, this millage is a It is. It's a weird mechanism. It is. And and we were at the when I was at the Batavia   trustee meeting, they were trying to talk about it Mhmm. And trying to explain it. And there was all these questions, and everybody's just mind is blown when it comes to those calculations.   But really what it comes down to is I think that when people are looking at what their taxpayers' money is going to,   what is it serving, and how is it helping the community? How in the long run does it help me?  

And and I think that through this education of of telling people,   this is what we're experiencing.   This is how it's used. This is what our need is, and this is why we we decided this versus this is is really what is the most important.   We have one coming up in Bethel. We tried to hit all the all the live coming towards you. Yeah. It is.   Like the rolling stones? Tours.  

[01:45:14] Unknown:

I wish we could have their popularity,   Anne.  

[01:45:17] Unknown:

And maybe you could wear, like, a shirt or something. That would be awesome. Anyway, but we're in Bethel, Bethel, coming up this Saturday. It's October 11. That's gonna be through from 12:30 to 01:30. We even put a lot of thought in the times as well,   because the library staff, when we were talking to them, said that it seems like people get a lunch and then they come to the library afterwards. So we thought that maybe we would capture some of that crowd that comes in on Saturdays.   So that's, this Saturday, October 11 in Bethel Library from 12:30 to 01:30.   Then on Tuesday, October 14,   we're gonna be in New Richmond, and that's gonna be in the evening. That's gonna be 06:30 to 07:30.  

On Saturday, the eighteenth, we're going to be in Union Township, and that's gonna be 12:30 to 01:30 again.   On Monday the twentieth,   we're going to be at the Felicity   Library,   and that's gonna be,   06:30 to 07:30 as well.   And then we're back, here at Williamsburg's Library on Tuesday the twenty first, and that's gonna be at 06:30 to 07:30.   On the October 25 is Saturday. That is gonna be 12:30 to 01:30. That's gonna be on in Goshen.   And then we have on Tuesday, the twenty eighth is 06:30 to 07:30. That's gonna be in Amelia,   and these are all gonna be posted on our Facebook page as well. And then our very last town hall educational session   is going to be on November 1,   from 01:30 to 03:30. Would that made that one a little bit longer just in case anybody had last minute things that they wanted to come and talk to us about. And that one's gonna be in Miami Township.  

So that's our rundown of our And people can come and ask you questions. People can come. They can ask questions. We're gonna have, Anne and I are planning on being at most of them, if not all.   And then we're gonna have other staff member there too and and, so we can ask questions. We can't promise that we're gonna know all the details,   but we're gonna be able to answer almost all of their general questions.   Some people have asked us in the past, what's the percentage of your,   you know, your,   of the middle school kids that are taking a you know, I'm not gonna have that off the top of my head and, frankly, none of our staff because we don't look at them in categories of middle school and and and elementary school and babies and things like that. They're children. They're our children that we are, trying to make sure are in safe environments.   So we're not gonna be able to answer those kind of specific questions. But when it comes to, you know, how much money we're spending on on placement and why the need for this levy, we're gonna be able to answer those questions. And if we can't answer the question, it's something that's that's   geared towards the need of the levy.  

We'll find that information out. We'll take that information. We'll get back to them. We'll also have signs available, our very cute signs.   We'll have that some of those available that'll be in the park that'll be available in the town hall, but, also, we'll have people that have them in the back of the car as well,   that, can take signs if they want to from that event. As we said, it's very personal when you put a political sign in your in your yard.   And then,   and we'll have some water too for people because they're, you know, talking a whole bunch. I tell you if you get beer with my bed. If we   could. Maybe that's after. I don't know. I don't know. There's like all kinds of legal things that I think There's a lot of rules against the law. Yeah. There's all kinds of rules. There's rules that you know, they get in our way all the time. You can't get people all liquored up at a town home. And then drive them over to go, right? No. That's terrible. I didn't mean that. I didn't mean that. But yeah,  

[01:48:43] Unknown:

I'm gonna get in really bad trouble. I'm gonna be in the midst of this political   firestorm. Clearly. Dotty hates replacements. Dotty hates   putting signs in main in main areas. No. I don't. I don't.   No. No. You're fine.  

[01:48:57] Unknown:

But yeah. So that's where we're gonna be, and it's really because we just wanna get the word out. And and more than anything, just fight off this   negative shroud of of this levy specifically and and   in CPS   and and also to address any misinformation.   Like, there's just crazy rumors that get started. It's just so much easier to believe that than the truth.  

[01:49:20] Unknown:

Fair enough. So Well, that's all I got. Thank you. No. Thank you. I appreciate it. And I'm gonna call this a successful podcast. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.   Well, thanks again, to Dottie and Anne for sitting down with me. I failed to mention this in the intro, but I I would like to have them both back on after the election and just to hear more about   the programs they have and what they're doing and and how things are going over there. So I really appreciate them coming on and and for the good discussion.   And, again, here are those town hall dates in case you have more questions for them.  

Tuesday tonight,   October twenty first, 06:30 to 07:30PM at the Williamsburg Library. Again, tonight.   There'll be one Saturday, October 25 from 12:30 to 01:30PM   at the Goshen Library.   Tuesday, October 28 from 06:30 to 07:30PM   at the Amelia Library. And the last one, your last opportunity to ask Dottie and Anne some questions will be Saturday, November 1 from 01:30 to 03:30 at Miami Township   Library. Alright. So let's talk about some events. And, again, we'll have a refreshed set of events on, Thursday. So if you listen to last Thursday's   episode,   these will probably sound familiar, and there's not a whole lot of them because   because a lot of them have passed. But let's talk about them. First up is Forged Tea Time and Hike,   brewing botanical potions. This is gonna be on October 25 from 05:30PM to 06:30PM   at Clingman Park. It is an autumn nature program where you will learn to identify and forage   local plants to brew   a witchy herbal tea potion.  

The event includes a short guided hike, weather permitting,   and encourages you to wear fun witch themed attire.   It is a free workshop, and it does require preregistration,   and it is designed for ages 12 and up. And if you want to register for that, head over to the park's website.   Next up, we have the Howell O'Ween   dog costume hike. This is gonna be on October 25 at 6PM at Shore Park. It is a Halloween themed evening for dog lovers.   Dress up your pup in costume,   in a costume for a self paced night hike through the park.   Enjoy treat stations for both humans and dogs, photo ops, and meet adorable dogs from the county animal shelter. Leashes are required, but no registration is needed for this free pet friendly   event.  

And last, like I said, it wasn't very long. Cincinnati Nature Center, nature's tricks and treats, October 25, 06:30PM   to 08:00PM   at the Cincinnati Nature Center Row Woods. It is a family friendly nighttime fall festival on the nature trails of the Cincinnati Nature Center. You will follow a flashlight led trail through the woods to encounter tricks and treats   at various stations from games to from games and crafts to learning about nocturnal animals.   Costumes are encouraged for kids and adults, and adventurous participants who complete the whole trail can win a small prize.   It does cost money. It is $10 for mem for members and $18 for nonmembers,   and it runs rain or shine. So dress for the weather and bring a flashlight.  

Like I said, those are all the events I got for you, and I'll do another quick note on events. I do the best I can to find as many as I can, and I know I don't get them all. So if you have an event or you know of an event that you that you want people to know about, just send an email. I won't promise every event's gonna get on here because I imagine if I tried to do all the events from around the county, this would be, like, an hour long segment. But,   I will do my best to to get any event that I can out here on this segment.   So with that said, we'll do one last pitch for value for value because we are a value for value podcast. And what that means is that if you find value in what we're doing, we just ask for a little value in return in the form of time, talent, or treasure. For time and talent, just let us know what's going on in your neighborhood. Let us know what issues are facing your community. We'd like to talk about it. We'd like to look more into it. And if you have boots on the ground   experience with that, let me know. Well, also, let us know who you'd like to hear from. There are lots of really cool people doing lots of really cool stuff across this county, and we just gotta find them. So if you know somebody that would be good for an interview, get in touch and let me know.  

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So thank you again for tuning in. I really hope you enjoyed this episode, and we'll see you tomorrow.