On May 5th, HSC hosted a Coffee Chat for its members with Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus. Commissioner Driehaus discussed her positions on a range of topics relevant to the human services community, including the opioid epidemic, transportation, and county levies. As chair of the Hamilton County Heroin Task Force, Commissioner Driehaus discussed the success of the recovery pods in the Hamilton County Justice Center for female inmates. Given the success these recovery pods in preventing relapse, the County has approved additional funding to expand these services for male inmates. Commissioner Driehaus credited the work of some of our members in working on the Heroin Task Force to recommend this program.
On the issue of transportation, Commissioner Driehaus expressed her opposition to discontinuing the City earnings tax if a sales tax is approved for Metro. She stated that the sales tax would bring in only the same amount of funding that the City’s earnings tax currently brings in. and that sales taxes are more burdensome to lower income residents than earnings taxes. She would consider supporting a sales tax to provide additional funding for the bus system if the City’s current earnings tax would be maintained.
Commissioner Driehaus also discussed the County’s new appointments to the Tax Levy Review Committee that makes recommendations on county levies and its establishment of an Economic Inclusion Council. The Economic Inclusion Council will support the Economic Inclusion Office in its efforts to promote inclusion in County procurement and employment practices. HSC is named in the Resolution as one of the agencies to recommend an appointment to the Economic Inclusion Council.
