PCBDD seeking 1.9 mill levy

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PREBLE COUNTY — The Preble County Board of Developmental Disabilities is seeking an additional tax for the purpose of providing basic services to adults and children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

The PCBDD will be asking voters on Tuesday, Nov. 7, to approve a 1.9 mill levy, for each one dollar of valuation, which amounts to $0.19 for each one hundred dollars of valuation, for 5 years, commencing in 2017, first due in calendar year 2018.

If passed, the cost to a homeowner of $100,000 home will pay approximately $5.54 per month.

“We need to maintain our basic services,” said PCBDD Superintendent/SSA Director Bethany Schultz. “It’s not for anything glamorous at all.“

The last time the PCBDD went to voters was 2008. The PCBDD serves nearly 400 people.

“We promised voters we wouldn’t come back in five years and we’ve stretched that into nine,” Schultz said.

According to Schultz, the Preble County Board of Developmental Disabilities has a proud history of providing quality services to individuals with developmental disabilities. The PCBDD supports all eligible individuals by increasing community relationships through collaboration, information, education and participation.

“We provide a variety of services and we serve those individuals from birth all the way through their life span,” Schultz said. “We provide the primary point of coordination, primarily for all of them.”

According to Schultz, the Early Intervention childhood program provides services to infants and their families. Early intervention services are provided in family-focused home settings emphasizing parent participation. Children in the program range in age from birth to three. Children are provided opportunities to develop physically, emotionally, socially and mentally to their fullest potential. The early intervention program works in conjunction with Help Me Grow through the Preble County Health District; as well as the Ohio Department of Health regarding the evaluation and assessment process for infants and toddlers.

The Service and Support Administrations (SSA) Department works to help people with disabilities and their families identify the services and supports they need to live as independently as possible. SSA staff is available to assist eligible individuals age three and older. For each person served, the SSA staff assesses needs, facilitates development of the support plan for the person, helps individuals select service providers, monitor to make sure needed services are received and provide crisis intervention 24 hours a day.

“We continue to provide service coordination to help them through their school and prepare them adult living. They have dreams and goals and we help them meet those,” Schultz said.

Locally, the Preble County Developmental Training Center was established in 1971 by parents of multi-handicapped children who could not be appropriately educated in the existing educational facility. By establishing a training facility within the county, children had the opportunity to benefit from modern training and facilities without being removed from their beneficial influences of their home and community environments.

“It’s our job to help take care of community members and to provide the supports they need. That’s why we’re in existence. We’re mandated to provide services to those individuals,” Schultz said. “I firmly believe that when we start and work with children early on and provide them with the supports they need, the less they’re going to need in the future. It’s very important.”

By Eddie Mowen Jr.

[email protected]

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4056 or on Twitter @emowen_RH

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