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Developmental disabilities requests levy

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By Brandon Smith-Hebson, Staff Writer 10:20 PM Tuesday, January 31, 2012

SPRINGFIELD — The Clark County Board of Developmental Disabilities will ask voters to approve a property tax levy in November for its continued operation.

The eight-year, 1.75-mill levy would mean an additional $61 a year in property taxes for the owner of a $100,000 home.

About 1,100 developmentally disabled residents of Clark County use the agency’s services, which range from housing to employment opportunities for adults to education for students.

In recent years, state funding for developmental disability programs has dropped.

A loss of state funding also means a loss of federal funding from programs like Medicaid and Medicare, said Jennifer Rousculp, superintendent of the agency.

For that reason, if state funding were reduced by $1.7 million annually — which is soon to be the case — the cut could actually mean a loss of about $4.5 million in total for services, about 10 percent of the agency’s budget.

The proposed levy would net the agency about $4.5 million annually to cover that gap.

County commissioners approved the ballot measure at a Tuesday morning meeting.

The recent trend has been to whittle down the services the agency itself provides, in favor of paying private providers.

“I see us helping build and develop private entities to do what they need to do,” Rousculp said.

Rousculp said that despite the privatization, her agency is still tasked with ensuring quality care for everyone.

“We, as the mandated safety net, are required to do due diligence to make sure those individuals have a healthy and safe life,” she said. “The accountability stays with the board.”

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