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On May 8, the citizens of Washington County will have the opportunity to address a crisis that has been unfolding for the past 10 years. This crisis centers on children who can no longer safely live in their own homes. During this 10-year time period, Washington County Children's Services Agency has experienced skyrocketing numbers of children who require outside of home placements. The number of children requiring placements ranging from traditional foster care to care in residential treatment centers has grown from 50 in 2007 to 144 in 2017. Annual placement costs to the agency have grown from $247,735 in 2007 to a staggering figure of over $1.7 million in 2017. In addition to traditional foster home placements, care required for a growing number of these children requires placement in foster homes where caregivers are trained to serve children with behavioral, mental, or physical health needs, placement in group homes that serve small numbers of children with developmental disabilities or specific behavior problems, and placement in residential treatment centers that provide intensive care for children with severe behavioral, mental, or physical needs. As the number of children needing these specialized care options has increased, so has the strain on the agency's budget. This is a situation that cannot continue.
The Washington County Children's Services Agency is asking us to vote yes on May 8 for a placement levy, which will provide money to be used for placement costs for out of home care for children. Voting yes will create a .55 mil levy for five years and will raise $817, 093 annually to support placement costs. The cost to a property owner will be $19.25 annually for every $100,000 of property value. This averages out to just over $1.60 per month.
As a lifelong educator and advocate for children, I urge you to think of these children who are some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and vote yes for Washington County Children's Services Placement Levy.
Dr. Dottie Erb
Marietta