5/8/13 Health levy fails

  • By Nick Sabo
  • May 8, 2013
  • 323
                        
SUMMARY: No immediate cuts to services expected; voters approve West Holmes renewal levy After a disappointing night at the polls, Holmes County Health Commissioner Dr. D.J. McFadden sent an e-mail to county health district employees. The e-mail was conciliatory in nature, reminding employees that despite the failure of a .75 mill levy in the Tuesday May 7 special election, they still have a job to do. In the e-mail, McFadden gave employees a breakdown of what was on his desk in the first hour of the day Wednesday: A dog bite, a request for information on peanut allergy, submitting of an intent to apply for a Help Me Grow grant, and a request for information to the Ohio Department of Health regarding a recent food borne illness exercise. And yet, the e-mail’s content was a reminder to McFadden of what the health department does that many are unaware of. The levy failed with 814 votes for and 1,156 against. The issue was the only to be voted on county wide in a special election that saw voter turnout of 10 per cent of the county’s 18,676 registered voters. The health district’s campaign promoting the levy was aimed at educating the public on all that the health district does. Cuts in state and federal funding could put many programs at jeopardy, and the levy was proposed as a means to counter the loss in funds. “The perception is that all we are is vaccinations and a free clinic,” McFadden said. “People don’t realize we deal with dog bites, are helping out a business with peanut allergy education. One of the things I regret is we were not able to engage people well enough on what we really do.” McFadden said that the health board will be examining their budget to see what the future holds. There will be no immediate cuts to services, McFadden said. McFadden said he hopes to be proactive, meeting challenges as they come to the health district. “Health care, public health are changing at warp speed,” McFadden said. “We need to keep up or be left behind. I don’t want us to be crisis reactive, but proactive.” Also Tuesday, voters renewed a levy for the West Holmes school district collecting at 3.39 mills, with 983 votes for and 478 votes against. The levy collects $1.18 million per year for the school district. A total of 2003 ballots were cast in the special election, for a voter turnout of 10.72 percent.


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