Children Services Voluntarily Lowers Tax Rate

$900,000 Savings to Taxpayers Due to Sound Fiscal Leadership

Ashtabula Township- It is not often you hear of governments voluntarily decreasing their revenue, but this past week during a Budget Commission Meeting, the Ashtabula County Children Services Board did just this.

A resolution approved on September 8^th by the Children Services Board formally requested the Ashtabula County Budget Commission to not assess their .5 mill levy on taxpayers for next year. This request means a tax decrease of $900,000 in tax burden to the property owners in 2023.

“To be direct, this is real money savings to our county taxpayers and real sound fiscal policy by the Children Services Board,” shared County Auditor David Thomas. “I commend the Board for voluntarily lowering their assessment next year.”

The Children Services Board reviewed their current finances and looked at current carry overs with future expenses to take the action that these dollars would not be necessary in 2023.

“We always want to be good stewards of the taxpayers’ money while fulfilling our mission to help the kids needing services,” said Children Services Director Tania Burnett. “For next year this money was not needed given the assistance we received from other state and federal entities.”

The decision to not collect the full voted millage for Children Services is part of a review done yearly by the Ashtabula County Budget Commission to determine need of tax dollars in the following year. The Budget Commission, made up of the County Auditor, Treasurer, and Prosecutor, worked with the Children Services Board to determine financial need for 2023.

“This is significant for our residents and shows that during these difficult inflationary times, local governments can provide services while still looking out for the taxpayer’s bottom line,” explained Auditor Thomas.

Children Services Board will now be estimated to receive in 2023 roughly $8.3 million in revenue after not assessing their .5 mill levy. The Board plans to have a decrease in their carry over dollars as their anticipated expenditures will be $9.3 million in 2023, a decrease in cash of $1 million.

Thomas cautioned that each year will be different as new expenses or needed services may arise. “This is why the Budget Commission works hand in hand each year with local entities to be flexible and responsive to the needs of their mission and services.”