10/14/2025

Issue 1 would provide revenue for services for the developmentally disabled

Gabriel Scotto

On Nov. 4, Athens County voters will decide on whether to renew a property tax levy that helps fund the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities (ACBDD).

 

The levy, which brings in a little over $2 million per year and was last renewed in 2017, represents around 18% of the total budget of the ACBDD, Kevin Davis, the superintendent of the ACBDD, said. The current levy covers tax years 2018 to 2025 and will expire at the end of 2026, Davis said.

 

The decision to renew rather than replace the existing levy was made in an effort to avoid additional costs to taxpayers, Davis explained. Further, Issue 1 would renew this levy for five years, rather than the seven years covered by the last levy renewal, he said.

 

In addition to this levy, the ACBDD receives revenue from three other property tax levies. These four levies provide 70% of the ACBDD’s revenue, with the remainder being made up of money from federal and state grants and refunds, according to the ACBDD’s 2024 annual report.

 

Over the past decade, the ACBDD has seen a significant increase in the number of people who utilize its services, Davis said. In total, the ACBDD serves around 800 people, representing a 46% increase over the last decade, he explained.

 

The most visible program operated by the ACBDD is the Beacon School, which provides specialized education for students with developmental disabilities from across Athens County’s five school districts, Davis said. The Beacon School serves 50 to 60 students a year, ages 3 to 21, he explained.

 

“We provide all kinds of specialized educational recreation, habilitation, social skills therapies, physical therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, and the swimming programs,” Davis said. “The students who come here get a lot of opportunities that they may not be able to get in their local home school districts.”

 

However, the Beacon School only represents a small portion of the total services offered by the ACBDD, Barry Oches, the treasurer of the ACBDD, explained. The majority of those who benefit from the ACBDD are not children, but adults with developmental disabilities, he said.

 

“Every [developmentally disabled] adult has a person that watches over what they do, sees if they have any needs … they get an individual service plan that’s revised every year and whatever [services] the individual needs, they [get] it,” Oches explained.

 

The ACBDD also works alongside other organizations, such as the Southeastern Ohio Center for Independent Living (SOCIL), to provide those with developmental disabilities with the services they need in order to live independently. These include everything from help navigating the waiver system to lending wheelchair ramps, Davey McNelly, the executive director of SOCIL, explained.

 

“We do a lot of [collaboration] with the [ACBDD] and we really see how important it is for people to be able to receive services, to be able to live and get where they want to get to,” McNelly said.

 

In addition to helping disabled adults live independently, the ACBDD also provides a variety of services to the parents of disabled children. One such parent is Annah Abetti Korpi, the secretary of the Friends of the ACBDD, whose eight-year-old son Isidoro has cerebral palsy.

 

As a result of a traumatic birth, Isidoro was referred to the ACBDD’s Early Intervention services. The family received consultations from experts at the ACBDD, including a physical therapist who would visit their home to aid them in looking after Isidoro, Korpi explained.

 

This support system not only proved vital in ensuring a good outcome for Isidoro but also helped alleviate some of Korpi’s anxiety in caring for a child with developmental disabilities, Korpi said.

 

“We were so traumatized by [Isidoro’s] month in the NICU and his birth and I was scared. So, I think having [the ACBDD] come gave me the confidence to go out in the world,” Korpi explained. “As a parent, sometimes there’s quite a bit of trauma associated with having a child with a disability and knowing that support system is there for the rest of [Isidoro’s] life is really wonderful.”

 

If Issue 1 does not pass, the ACBDD has sufficient funds to continue operating at current levels until January 2027, Davis said. However, the ACBDD would try to get the levy on the ballot in spring and fall 2026 until it passes, he explained.

 

The ACBDD would also put together a working group made up of different people in the agency, along with people served by the ACBDD and their families, to develop a plan on how to move forward with reduced funding, Davis said.

 

“We have a wide array of programs. We have programs that we’re legally mandated to provide, and we have programs that were not legally mandated to provide, but that are really important to the local community,” Davis explained. “If the levy does not pass, we’re prepared with a plan in place to be able to move forward and do what we need to do at that point.”

 

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