The Lawrence County Commission will host a special meeting at 10 a.m. today to determine whether to put a funding levy for Lawrence County Developmental Disabilities on the ballot for the March 17 primary election.

Supporters of the levy have collected and turned in signatures after the levy was narrowly defeated in the November general election.

The 2.5 mill levy would have been for a 10-year period. The new proposal calls for a five-year levy.

LCDD announced layoffs and budget cuts, including extracurricular activities, a few days after the election, citing a contingency plan in place if the levy had failed.

The last request for additional funding by LCDD came in 1991 and officials said the agency ranked near the bottom of counties of Ohio for local tax funding. Local funding accounts for 38 percent of the agency’s budget.

LCDD operates Open Door School and provides services, such as job placement and transportation to adults with DD in the county.

The commission will host the meeting in the county auditor’s conference room at the courthouse.

The levy was a topic of discussion at last week’s meeting of the commission.

Jim Kratzenberg, of Ironton, said the main reason the levy faced opposition was the cost to property owners.

“A lot of the comments we heard were that homeowners voted against kids,” he said. “Folks, that’s absolutely not true. I don’t know one person who voted against the levy because of kids.”

He said he appreciates what the agency does, but the financial burden is too high for property owners, especially with tax bills set to go up.

“We’ve got to find some other way,” he said, noting that Ohio is one of the few states that does not have a sales tax on to-go food. He cited this as a possible alternate source of revenue and hoped legislators in Columbus would explore other options.

“It should be something everybody pays,” he said. “It just can’t be on the property owners.”

He said taxes and fees are making the county unattractive to business.

“It’s not advantageous to own property in this county with all the fees,” he said. “We just can’t carry the financial burden. We’re not against any child.”

In other business, the commission:

• Voted to declare Dec. 7 as “Bill Pratt Day” in Lawrence County. The date marks one year since the death of the former commission president.
Freddie Hayes Jr. who followed Pratt as president, paid tribute to him in a video on the commission’s social media.
“He’s gone, but never forgotten,” Hayes said in the clip, describing Pratt as a friend who loved the county and took pride in running one of its last dairy farms.

• Voted to give $500 to the Ironton football team, to help pay for their trip to Canton over the weekend.

• Voted for the extension of a contract for 911 dispatchers.

• Heard from Otello Banks, of AEP, who discussed the company’s implementation of “smart meters” for homes, which he said can be read remotely and do not require in-person readings.