Funding services from the bottom up: an overview of Senior Services Levy Programs in Ohio

Since the 1980s, Ohio counties have pursued a somewhat unique strategy for funding services for the 60-and-older population. Using local property-tax levies, Ohio counties bring in more than $100 million yearly to support a range of services for older people. In this article we report on information from the 2005 Ohio Senior Service Levy Survey, including information for states or counties that may be interested in implementing senior-service levies of their own.

A survey was completed by 56 of 59 Ohio counties that operated senior-service levies in 2004. We pilot tested the survey instrument with input from three counties (urban, rural, and a mix of both).

Overall, the survey responses provided information on a range of components, including size of levy, types of services provided, number of older citizens served, quality and evaluation efforts, and advice on initiating successful levy campaigns.

Ohio is one of only five states raising money for senior services through countywide, property-tax levies. Although there is some debate about the appropriateness of property-tax levies as a means of funding senior services, these levies are being met very favorably at the polls in Ohio. Because funding from the Older Americans Act has not kept pace with inflation or with the increasing number of older people, other states may look at Ohio's experience with senior-service levies with increasing interest.