Children’s Renewal Levy on the Fall Ballot

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Off-year elections may not generate much excitement but they can often initiate the largest impact on people’s lives within the community.    

The Muskingum County Adult and Child Protective Services has a 2-mil, 10 year, renewal levy on this year’s ballot that asks voters to commit to the well-being of the youth in their community.

“So Children’s Services, it is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week agency. The levy provides 40 percent of the budget to support children’s services in the Avondale Youth Center. It is used for our mandated services to care, to support, protect and for the placement of children who have been physically abused, sexually abused, neglected and abandoned,” Muskingum County Adult and Child Services Human Resources and Public Information Officer Melissa Wood said. 

Passage of the levy is important because it funds a large percentage of what the county is required by the state to provide its residents toward looking after the best interest of its youth; at a time when more children than ever need it most. 

“We’re seeing quite an increase in physical and sexual abuse. We’re also seeing the impact of substance abuse, when it comes to safe parenting decisions or practices. We’re also seeing societal pressures and how that’s impacting mental health of not just the parents but also with the children. Which also is making more childhood trauma for kids. This has also been an increase in bringing a lot more children into foster care in Muskingum County,” Muskingum County Adult and Child Protective Services Executive Director Candy Emmert said.

MCACPS serves about 3,800 children per-year in Muskingum County and has witnessed more than double the foster care placement costs since 2019.