Journal News and Enquirer Support Issue 12

This weekend both the Journal News and the Cincinnati Enquirer endorsed Issue 12. In leading editorial articles both area newspapers encouraged voters to support the levy.

To read the Journal News editorial, click on this link http://www.journal-news.com/o/content/oh/story/opinions/editorial/2008/02/24/swg022408editorial.html

To read the Cincinnati Enquirer editorial, click on this link http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080224/EDIT01/802240452/1020/EDIT

Endorsements

Issue 12 is gaining community support! Check out the list of individuals and organizations that have endorsed the campaign so far...

• Butler-Warren-Clinton AFL-CIO Political Action Committee Affiliated with Dayton Miami Valley Regional Labor Council
• Cynthia Brown, Executive Director, Butler County Child Support
• Fairfield City Council
• Hamilton City Council
• Judge Charles Pater, Court of Common Pleas
• Judge Michael J. Sage, Trial Division, Common Pleas Court
• Judge Noah Powers, Court of Common Pleas
• Judge Ronald R. Craft, Butler County Juvenile Court
• Katherine A. Becker, Councilperson, City of Hamilton
• Nancy Nix, CPA, Butler County Treasurer
• Randy and Nancy Rogers
• Rob Clevenger, Butler County Juvenile Justice Center
• Roger Conner, Owner of Flowers by Roger
• Ron Wardrup, Chair of the Butler County Democratic Party
• Suzi Rubin, Monroe City Council
• The Board of the Foster and Adoptive Parent Support Team (FAST)

Yard Signs

Yard signs are in! You should start to see them around town in the next few days. If you'd like one, just email your name and address to partnershipforchildren08@gmail.com.

Here is the design:

City Council Support!

The Hamilton City Council voted unanimously this evening to support Issue 12. Council members stressed how important it was to support our community's children.

Look who's supporting children and families!

The levy campaign just received endorsements from Butler County Juvenile Court Judge, Ronald R. Craft and Common Pleas Court Judge, Michael J. Sage.

Have a Heart for Children

Please join us this Thursday, Feb. 14th (Valentine's Day) for our "Have a Heart for Children" Levy Kickoff Meeting. The event will be held from Noon to 1 pm at the Government Services Center. There will be volunteer and yard sign sign-ups, as well as fund-raising opportunities.

Please come and show your support for Issue 12!

If you would like to help with the event, or have any questions, please email: tdglang@fuse.net

Levy Facts

Here is information from our levy fact sheet:

Levy Background

Current Levy
· 2 mill, five-year levy
· Expires November 2008
· Last approved (increase) in 2003
· In 2003 – cost to owner of $100,000 home $56.17/year
· Generates about $15 million a year

Proposed Levy
· 2 mill, five-year replacement levy
· Cost the owner of $100,000 home $61.25/year—an increase of $5.08 a year.
· Generates about $15.7 million a year—60% of Children Services total funding

Levy supports services to children and families, including:

· Taking reports of abuse, neglect and dependency
· Protecting children from abuse, neglect and dependency
· Support for teens leaving the foster care system
· Services that help families stabilize – drug treatment, counseling, domestic violence protection, parent education, emergency assistance
· Services to help abused and neglected children such as mental health treatment, educational services, etc.
· Safe, stable temporary homes such as foster care for children who cannot remain safely in the home because of abuse and neglect.
· Foster care and adoption recruitment
· Support for Juvenile Court and Guardian Ad Litems (GALs)


Messages


Help Heal the Hurt
The levy helps protect more than 7,000 children each year—that’s 1 in every 12 children in Butler County.

Butler County Children’s Services is mandated to:
Take reports of child abuse, neglect and dependency (19,486 calls in 2006)
Investigate those reports
Act to protect children
Assure that children have permanent homes

The Children’s Services levy serves local children who are:
abused and neglected
in the court system, or
otherwise disadvantaged.

In 2006, the number of children active with the agency in an average month was 2,372

The majority of services provided by children services are mandated by federal and state law.

Children Services is mandated to provide specific services to children those services include: child abuse reporting line; investigations; ongoing case management; foster parent recruitment, training and certification; adoption case management.
There are strategic reasons for providing services that are above the mandated minimum levels. Example – Workers assigned to support BCCS foster homes help retain foster parents and reduce placement disruptions
Inadequate levels of service place children at risk.

Safety Net – The Children’s Services levy is critical to the intertwined system of public and private agencies that protect and help the disadvantaged children of Butler County. The system includes but is not limited to:

Butler County Children’s Services
Butler County Juvenile Court
Guardians Ad Litems – children’s representatives in court
Butler County Prosecutor’s Office
Family and Children First Counsel
Private and public child-serving agencies (such as foster care, mental health services, emergency housing, training)

Welcome

Welcome to the Partnership for Children 2008 blog. We are a group organized to work for passage of Issue 12, the Butler County Children Services Levy.

This blog will be a landing spot for news, events, and other important campaign information.