Hamilton County property owners would pay about $39 more per $100,000 in home value for children's services if voters approve Issue 10 on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The four-year, 5.61-mill levy would renew and increase funding for foster care, child protection and related programs run by Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services, according to an Axios Cincinnati voter guide. The total annual cost would rise to about $121 per $100,000 in home value, up from roughly $82.

Social workers, doctors and nonprofit leaders are making a final push for the levy, warning that a failure would gut preventative and mental health services for thousands of children. WKRC first reported on the advocacy effort Oct. 26.

Advocates said children's services provide care for more than 13,000 children each year. Tracy Cook, executive director of ProKids, said the county's abuse and neglect hotline alone receives about 50,000 calls a year.

"There are about 50,000 calls alone to two-for-one kids, which is the centralized intake line, the hotline, if you will, for allegations of abuse and neglect, just for Hamilton County," Cook said.

Debbie Gingrich, chief program officer at Best Point Behavioral Health, said rising costs and staffing needs are driving the increase. Some children's services are mandated by the state. If the levy fails, the county would still have to fund those programs, which advocates said could drain money from other services.

Dr. Kristi Dinkelaker, advocacy chair for the Cincinnati Pediatrics Society, warned that a levy failure would ripple beyond children's services. She said voting no on the levy amounts to voting no on EMS and public-safety funding, because the county would have to redirect general-fund dollars to cover mandated child-welfare costs.

If the levy fails, advocates said non-mandated services would be most vulnerable. Preventative care and mental health care would face the deepest cuts.

The levy has drawn criticism over its size. WKRC reported that if approved, the children's services levy will have seen more than a 100% increase in a decade. No organized opposition group has been identified in available reporting.

Political analysts told WCPO the levy faces a tension between voter support for children's services and resistance to higher taxes in a difficult economy. One analyst predicted most Hamilton County levies would pass, while another cautioned that voters are less likely to approve new spending when household budgets are tight.

Anderson Township, Mariemont and Terrace Park residents will also see other local ballot questions Nov. 3. Terrace Park has a renewal levy for general operating expenses, and Mariemont seeks to renew funding for permanent improvements, according to the Axios guide.

Early in-person voting continues through Sunday, Nov. 1. Election Day polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3. Absentee ballots must reach the Hamilton County Board of Elections by 7:30 p.m. that day.