Franklin County voters approved a 10-year, 2.5-mill property tax levy for Franklin County Children Services, according to unofficial results.
With 100% of Franklin County precincts reporting, the levy passed 62 percent to 38 percent, with 344,084 "yes" votes to 207,023 "no" votes.
The issue combined a renewal of a 1.9-mill levy with a 0.6 mill levy. That increases the tax by $21 annually, to $53 a year, for every $100,000 of property value.
Franklin County Children Services said the agency’s cost for care has increase 24% over the last three years.
The agency plans to invest about $1 million more a year back in neighborhoods through community-based prevention programs, focusing on mental health programs for young people.
"And, if children do need to come in our care, the levy allows us to put more resources and supports in place for grandparents, relatives, and family friends who step up to take care of a child when their parents can’t," Children Services Executive Director Chip Spinning said in a statement.
The levy is one of two 10-year levies that funds the agency, which hadn’t asked for a millage increase in 20 years.