3/1/2004

Super Tuesday vote crucial

Issue 29 to determine whether disabled get more funding

Shannon Quinn
Daily Kent Stater

Citizens will have a choice tomorrow to pass Issue 29, a .9-mill levy that would produce an additional $2.7 million over 10 years for the Portage County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.

Some people are confused by this, said Chuck Holden, superintendent of MRDD, because a 2-mill levy was just passed in November. However, the November levy was a renewal levy, which means it merely maintains the same amount of income the board receives each year, which is about $3 million. Issue 29 would add additional funds to the annual income. Holden added that levies are the only way the board can raise money.

He said the .9-mill levy would generate funds the board could use to serve disabled individuals on its waiting list.

“It’s about the future, about those who aren’t being served now,” Holden said. “If the levy isn’t passed, we don’t know how these people will be served.”

He said the additional funds would primarily go to Portage Industries, a company that helps adult disabled people find jobs, and Happy Day School, which provides education services to disabled individuals ages 1-22.

“If you look at the age bracket, people in need go from itty, bitty tiny people to the big ones,” Holden said. “We go from the womb to the tomb.”

Marcia Reardon, director of Children’s Services of MRDD, said the money from the new levy will pay primarily for operation, maintenance and personnel of Happy Day School.

She said the largest growth for services was in the Early Intervention Program, which provides services for infants and toddlers.

New medical technology is helping more children survive, Reardon said, adding that the types of services for them has become more involved.

Happy Day School provides speech and occupational therapy, family support groups, transportation to and from the facility and specialized teachers. These services are available both in and out of school, she added.

“It’s a comprehensive service package,” she said. “(If the levy doesn’t pass), we will not be able to meet the needs of the waiting list.”

Reardon said there would be cutbacks if the levy fails and the MRDD board would decide which services to reduce or eliminate.

Neither Holden nor Reardon were aware of any strong opposition to the levy.

“This county has been very supportive of Happy Day and of the whole agency,” Reardon said. “We’re hopeful the levy will pass.”

E-mail: smquinn@kent.edu