The Hamilton County Tax Levy Review Committee, a citizen group created to examine tax levies before they go on election ballots, wants to look at itself next.

        The committee was created in 1995 as a spending watchdog group to give county commissioners a second opinion on the appropriate amounts for levies before they go to voters.

        But members are beginning to question whether they are having much effect.

        Overall, the amounts collected by Hamilton County's special tax levies have increased nearly 30 percent since 1988.

        Tax levy review committee member Ray Fern, former county budget director, says county social service taxes — including those that pay for children, seniors and health services — have risen 40 percent in four years.

        After recently voting to support an 18 percent increase in the mental health levy, Mr. Fern said the county needs to find a way to review proposed levies side-by-side, rather than one-at-a-time to better determine which needs have top priority.

        “It seems to me there has to be a better way to do this,” Mr. Fern said.

        Committee members have raised concerns about being asked to perform two expedited reviews of proposed tax levies in the past two years. The first request — for a quick look at a 25-percent increase for the health and hospitalization levy — was denied. The second request, a two-week review of the mental health levy, was performed.

        George Vincent, chairman of the volunteer committee, said it's time to reevaluate how the organization does business.

        Committee members will discuss those issues during a retreat to be scheduled sometime in the next month.

        “It makes some sense to talk about why we exist, look at the charter and focus on what the committee should be doing and what we're all about,” Mr. Vincent said. “We want to take a step back and ask if there is a better way to do it.”

        Specifically, the committee will look at:

        • The time frame within which it operates in reviewing levies.

        • Ways to get the public more involved during hearings on the levies.

        • Should all of the committee's meetings be held in the county administration downtown, or at other sites?

        • Evaluation of the levies by outside experts. Currently, they open the audit and evaluation of individual levies to bid. Mr. Vincent said it might make sense to keep firm on retainer to do all of the work.

        “We want to break down each component of what we do,” Mr. Vincent said. “Is there a better way?”

        “There is a desire to make sure that as the proceeds go up that the quality and effectiveness of service also is moving up,” Mr. Vincent said.

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