CEO Blog

This March, the health and wellness of Cuyahoga County is on the ballot.

Issue 26, which will be brought to voters in the coming election, is a renewal levy that will maintain funding for critical Health and Human Services.  The levy provides about half of Cuyahoga County’s entire Health and Human Services budget. Those funds help keep kids safe, provide residents with medical care and offer home and community-based assistance to older adults.  

The 4.8 mill levy protects $137 million in funding for critical services—roughly half of local HHS funding. Revenue is earmarked specifically for health and human services and cannot be used for anything else.  The levy also helps Cuyahoga County secure hundreds of millions in state and federal matching funds, all of it spent on health and human services throughout the county.

Issue 26 is not a tax increase.  Property owners will continue to pay about $9.50 per month on $100,000 of auditor-appraised value. The 2024 renewal will support critical services and improve the quality of life across the county without raising taxes.

Benjamin Rose relies on funding from the levy to support a variety of our programs, including home meal delivery, activities at the Rose Centers, counseling and support services, transportation and more.  The levy is vital to many of our community partners as well, including the ADAMHS Board, Cuyahoga County Division of Adult and Senior Services (DSAS), the Greater Cleveland Foodbank and MetroHealth, to name a few.  We are part of a broad network of local charities, public agencies and volunteer groups who help promote the health, wellness and dignity of our neighbors, across the lifespan.  Learn more about this vital work and programs supported by the Health and Human Services levy by visiting https://hhs.cuyahogacounty.gov/

Here are some important things to remember about Issue 26:

Primary Election Day is Tuesday, March 19. Early voting started on February 21, and continues through election day.  If you are registered to vote, you can vote by mail, vote early in-person at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections or vote on election day, March 19, at your local precinct. 

You can find out more information about the election, including the location of you polling place, and sample ballots, by visiting the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website:  https://boe.cuyahogacounty.gov/

Get involved.  You can show your support for Issue 26 by requesting a yard sign, making phone calls or greeting voters at the polls on election day.  For more information about Issue 26, visit www.voteforhhs.org.  At this site you will find information about the levy, and ways that you can show your support for the measure.  

Thank you.