(Posted Jan. 24, 2018)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
The Madison County Board of Developmental Disabilities (MCBDD) will be on the May 8 primary ballot seeking renewal of a 1-mill operating levy.
Voters have renewed the levy every five years since it was originally passed in 1988. The levy generates approximately $850,000 a year. MCBDD’s annual budget is $6.5 million.
“This levy represents no new taxes,” said Susan Thompson, board superintendent.
The board’s carryover cash balance has been declining the past few years. The agency ended 2017 with a $1.6 million carryover. Despite the decline, Thompson said MCBDD is operating within its means.
“With changes made over the past 18 months–retirements and not filling positions–we are hopeful that we will be able to maintain services with our current funding,” she said.
MCBDD serves more than 350 children and adults in Madison County. The agency’s mission is to “ensure supports for people with developmental disabilities and their families in making choices which will enrich their lives.”
Those supports include everything from services for school-aged children to transportation, work exploration, work placement, family support, Special Olympics, and recreation.
For more information about the levy request, contact Thompson at (740) 852-7050, ext. 1820. MCBDD’s main office is located at 500 Elm St., London. The agency also can be found on Facebook.
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. MCBDD will hold its 28th Annual Appreciation and Awards Dinner on March 15 at the Coughlin Auotmotive Community Center in London. The Blue Spectrum Band will perform; three of the band’s members are on the autism spectrum.
In advance of the dinner, the board is accepting award nominations in the following categories: MCBDD staff member, parent/family member, organization/agency, public awareness/service, advocate, consumer, individual, Dorothy Allison Lifetime Achievement Award, and Judge Glenn S. Hamilton Consumer Leadership Award.
