The commission‘s decision shifts Human Service levy dollars to the MCBDDS so that it can maintain its state-required reserve balance for 2026.
“The $9 million in additional funding from the BCC and the Levy Council for this cycle is a major commitment and will help us address those needs,” said MCBDDS Superintendent Kamarr Gage.
This emergency award comes after the MCBDDS has already made $4.4 million in cuts to personnel, programs and facilities this year.
Janet Peasant, a Washington Twp. resident and the mother of a person with disabilities, told commissioners during their Tuesday meeting that although she and other parents are grateful the MCBDDS is receiving the funding, it will not be used to increase services for families like hers.
Peasant said she feels local families “coping with difficult and life-altering disabilities are being asked to live with less.”
She pointed to cuts to family support services, which can help cover costs related to home adaptations that are not covered by waivers — this includes door locks, ramps and even bathroom modifications.
Montgomery County Administrator Michael Colbert said county agencies must “live within their means.”
“We are very much sympathetic to the service level that the administration at DDS is trying to do,” Colbert said. “But the reality is, that can’t continue to grow. It jeopardizes the entire levy system and all the services across the board.”
The Human Services Levy also funds county agencies like Montgomery County Children Services, Montgomery County Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services, Older Adult Services, and Public Health - Dayton and Montgomery County.
The MCBDDS, which receives funding through Montgomery County’s Human Services Levy and other revenue sources, was awarded $5 million in emergency funds in October after the department announced nearly $9 million in planned cuts to programs and personnel.
The Montgomery County commission also awarded $17 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the MCBDDS when the board declared a fiscal emergency in 2023. That funding source was used to cover costs related to Medicaid waiver matches and other expenses.
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