The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities is preparing for a summer of deep cuts, eliminating nearly a quarter of its staff and handing over part of its downtown Hamilton footprint to county commissioners as it tries to plug a widening budget hole. About 31 jobs are on the chopping block, dozens of locally funded programs and supports are set to shrink, and at the same time the agency is asking voters to approve a two-mill levy on the May primary ballot to stabilize its long-term finances.
The board formally approved the layoffs at its April 14 meeting and notified staff that 31 positions, roughly 24% of the agency's workforce, will disappear later this summer. Leaders also intend to shift operations of one building to the Butler County commissioners while keeping a portion of the Fair Avenue facility for board use. "Our board did not take this lightly," Superintendent Lee Ann Emmons said, according to Local12.
Board cites long-term funding gap
The county board declared a state of fiscal emergency in September 2025, warning that its Medicaid waiver match obligations keep climbing while levy revenue stays flat and will soon lag behind what is needed. In response, the agency released a sustainability plan and asked county commissioners to place a 2-mill continuing levy on the May ballot to replace shrinking local dollars, according to the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
Savings math and service shifts
Board officials estimate that the combination of layoffs and the Fair Avenue building transfer will save roughly $4.5 million. When those moves are stacked on top of earlier cost-cutting steps, including wage and hiring freezes, pay reductions and program trims, total savings climb to about $8.4 million. The agency also plans to reorganize some departments and move its eligibility function and investigative agent work, which covers adult protective services, to the Southwestern Ohio Council of Governments while keeping oversight with the county board, according to WVXU.
Families and programs brace for change
Local day-habilitation programs and voucher-backed services that many families lean on are expected to be scaled back, providers say. Programs such as InsideOut Studio, where artists with developmental disabilities create and show their work, and other adult-day services rely heavily on board funding and vouchers. Participants and parents told reporters those supports give their days structure and meaning that would be difficult to replace, as reported by WCPO. WCPO also reports that the board serves roughly 4,300 Butler County residents, and many families worry the cuts will translate into fewer therapy hours and heavier caseloads for the staff who remain.
Legal and oversight questions
Officials note that federally required waiver services generally cannot be eliminated outright, only adjusted in how and by whom they are delivered. That has raised concerns about continuity of care as more responsibilities are contracted out or shifted between agencies. The board says state-mandated functions will still be overseen by the county board even when the day-to-day work moves elsewhere, according to WVXU.
Next steps and the levy timeline
Emmons has told reporters the layoffs will go forward this summer no matter what happens at the ballot box, a schedule that has families and providers scrambling for short-term alternatives, as reported by Local12. County commissioners have already agreed to place a 2-mill levy on the May ballot, but even if voters sign off, new revenue would not arrive until the first quarter of 2027. That lag means more cuts are likely this year, according to WCPO. Families, providers and county leaders now face a tight window to prepare for service changes and to make their case to voters.
