(This story was updated to correct an error about the cost of the ADAMH levy.)
Two property tax levies are likely heading to Franklin County voters this November: a renewal levy for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and a levy that would increase taxes for the county’s Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board.
The Franklin County Commissioners said at their July 1 meeting that they intend to place both levies on the fall ballot and approved the first of two necessary resolutions for each.
ADAMH is asking for a 10-year, 3.35-mill levy, which includes a 0.5 mill increase. If passed, the levy would take effect in 2027 and cost property owners $68.91 annually for every $100,000 of taxable value, an increase of $17.50 per $100,000 of value over ADAMH’s current levy.
A report by the Franklin County Human Services Levy Review Committee recommended the increase because the committee found that costs for ADAMH are outpacing the increase in levy revenue that comes from new construction. ADAMH is projecting a $6 million operating deficit in 2026.
The levy is projected to raise $115.9 million for ADAMH in 2027, $25.6 million of it from the levy increase.
The levy would support the new Franklin County Crisis Care Center, part of which opens this summer.
The committee report also expresses concern about potential federal funding cuts, including to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which provided nearly 10% of ADAMH’s $115 million 2024 budget, and to Medicaid, which could leave more residents in need.
ADAMH helps county residents get affordable mental health and addiction services by contracting with more than 30 nonprofit agencies.
ADAMH CEO Erika Clark Jones said that if the levy does not pass, the crisis care center won’t open at full capacity and ADAMH will have to cut services, including in schools across the county.
“This levy is essential to sustain vital mental health and addiction services for every Franklin County resident, regardless of their ability to pay,” she said.
Would the Columbus Zoo levy raise taxes?
The zoo levy would not raise taxes. The zoo, located just north of Franklin County, in Delaware County, is asking Franklin County voters to approve another 10-year, 0.75-mill levy. The levy would bring in about $21.3 million annually, representing about 20% of the zoo’s annual budget.
The levy would continue to collect $11.20 per $100,000 of a property’s taxable value annually. The cost to taxpayers has actually decreased since voters last renewed the zoo’s levy in 2015. A decade ago, the levy cost property owners about $21 per $100,000 of property value.
Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce raised the idea that Delaware County taxpayers could also support the zoo, an issue that’s been discussed for decades.
Commissioner John O’Grady noted that this would be the first time the zoo has gone before voters since the zoo faced a $2.3-million theft scandal in 2021. Zoo President and CEO Tom Schmid readily acknowledged the scandal at the meeting and called it a “leadership failure.”
Since 2021, the previous CEO, Tom Stalf, and four other zoo administrators have been sentenced, with some receiving years of prison time.
The commissioners praised Schmid and other leaders at the zoo for rebuilding trust after the scandal.
Schmid said the zoo has instituted layers of accountability and transparency, including merging its two governing boards and implementing a third-party ethics hotline.
“The levy helps keep our admission price and membership pricing as low as possible, helping to ensure access for all,” Schmid said. “On behalf of the 6,000 animals and nearly 2,000 employees and over 500 volunteers and docents that make up the Columbus Zoo family, we ask for your support of this levy.”
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Zoo, ADAMH property tax levies headed to November ballot in Franklin County
Reporting by Jordan Laird, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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