03/13/2026

Back levy for Board of Developmental Disabilities

Submitted

The Lorain County Board of Developmental Disabilities is facing a budget crisis that threatens to undermine the vital services it provides.

The danger is so stark that without additional revenue, the social services agency is at risk of having to close its excellent Murray Ridge School in the 2027-28 school year, Superintendent Amber Fisher told us this week.

The school, which has 131 students this school year, offers kindergarten through 12th grade classes in addition to preschool. Were it to close, its students would need to return to their home school districts, which might struggle to serve their specialized needs as well as Murray Ridge does. That’s in part because many public-school districts are facing their own financial difficulties these days.

Fisher said additional cuts to other services also would be necessary without more funding.

We hope voters across the county will step up to prevent such drastic cuts by voting in favor of Issue 11, a new 0.85-mill levy that would raise just over $10 million annually. The levy would be in place for five years.

The board brought in nearly $38.2 million in revenue last year, including from two existing levies.

One of those levies, which generated almost $12.2 million in 2025, is permanent, while the other, which generated about $12.4 million in 2025, was last renewed in 2023. The board’s budget is rounded out with funding from the state and federal governments

While that seems like a significant amount of revenue, the board spent a little less than $45.7 million last year to provide services to more than 3,000 people with developmental disabilities.

Although Fisher told us that the board had worked to reduce expenses, the reason it is spending more than it takes in goes back to the pandemic.

Fisher said that the pandemic led to a shortage of folks who provide the kind of direct services that the board offers. That shortage led the state to increase its Medicaid waiver reimbursement rates. The problem, Fisher said, is that those reimbursement rates are dropping.

“The county share went up,” she said. “The federal share went down.”

In other words, the board is paying out more to provide the same type of services needed by the 784 people whose care is covered by Medicaid waivers. She said other county boards of developmental disabilities across Ohio have run into the same fiscal problem.

The board’s responsibilities extend far beyond caring for those patients and operating Murray Ridge School.

Last year, it served 955 people through its early intervention program, which sends workers to the homes of kids with developmental disabilities, ranging in age from newborns to three years old, to help their families learn to care for them.

It also helped the families of 717 people through its family support program and 719 people through its supportive living and residential living programs.

She said 166 people with developmental disabilities worked as part of the Murray Ridge Center’s supportive employment program. The center also provided adult day services to 903 people.

Board employees have other responsibilities as well, including investigating abuse and neglect allegations.

Fisher told us that Issue 11 is the first time the board has sought additional funding from local taxpayers in more than a decade.

“This is not about expansion; it’s about preservation,” she said.

Those services are worth preserving so that those with developmental disabilities and their families continue to receive the services and support they need.

Were Issue 11 to pass, the owner of a home valued at $100,000 would pay about $30 per year, according to county Auditor Craig Snodgrass’ office.

That’s a reasonable amount to spend on maintaining the good work being done by the board’s staff.

Fortunately, Lorain County voters have long recognized the importance of the Board of Developmental Disabilities.

When the board’s levy was last renewed in 2023, it passed with the support of 73.2 percent of voters.

We urge voters to once again dig into their hearts and wallets to support those with developmental disabilities by casting their ballots in favor of Issue 11.