By Cindi Andrews
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Two programs that aim to help at-risk infants and children will get a combined $1.54 million next year, Hamilton County commissioners indicated Monday.

Commissioners Tom Neyer and Todd Portune said they will support adding one-time money for Every Child Succeeds and Friends of the Children to Administrator David Krings' proposed 2003 budget. Commissioners expect to vote on the $2.19 billion budget Dec. 30.

"I would be willing to cut minimally into the budget stabilization fund" for the programs, Mr. Neyer said. "We're trying to stabilize not just budgets but also families."

The proposed budget also includes a 7 percent rate increase for the Metropolitan Sewer District. However, several other key decisions have not been made, including whether to increase the county's real estate property transfer tax from $2 per $1,000 of property value to $3 per $1,000.

Every Child Succeeds is a 4-year-old home-based program that helps first-time parents who are poor, young, unmarried and otherwise at-risk for up to three years after the child's birth. Commissioners' $900,000 contribution is about half of the program's funding for Hamilton County families, Every Child Succeeds President Judy Van Ginkel said, with the rest coming from the United Way and other public and private groups.

"That's to maintain service at the current level," she said of the $900,000. "Without it, it would essentially cut our program in Hamilton County in half."

Every Child Succeeds has a roster of about 800 families and costs about $2,200 per year per family, Ms. Van Ginkel said. The payoff is expected to come in the form of lower rates of child abuse, welfare dependency and substance abuse.

Friends of the Children will get $640,000 to continue its efforts identifying and helping at-risk schoolchildren, commissioners indicated. In the first year of the 12-year program, 98 percent of the children who took part were promoted to the next grade, according to Arlene Herman, president of Family Service of the Cincinnati Area.

Commissioners said little Monday about the real estate transfer tax increase that Mr. Krings is proposing. If passed next week, it would take effect in late January, increasing the amount of county tax that sellers pay at closing by a third.

The tax hike would raise $2.9 million a year for the county. It'll be difficult to match continuing expenses with continuing revenues without it, Mr. Krings said

Mr. Portune opposes the tax hike, but Mr. Neyer, the swing vote, suggested Monday that he was undecided.

The real estate industry opposes the tax, as does the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes.

"Hamilton County is already the highest-tax county in the state of Ohio," said Chris Finney, a COAST spokesman. "The commissioners, who pretend to be tough on taxes and spending, are not. The reality is that they don't have an income problem, they have a spending problem."

Phil Heimlich, who takes Mr. Neyer's place Jan. 13, also opposes raising the transfer tax. He said he won't try to rewrite the 2003 budget after taking office, but if the tax hike passes he will revisit it in the 2004 budget.

"One of my budget goals (in 2004) will be to eliminate the increase, and actually I'd like to see it reduced further," Mr. Heimlich said.

One potential cutback, he said, is in employee raises. Mr. Krings has proposed 2 percent pay hikes in 2003.

"I think they deserve the increase," Mr. Heimlich said. "But the fact is, I can't justify in my mind giving increases to county employees at the same time we're raising the transfer tax."

He also is concerned that the budget does not have enough wiggle room in case state funding is cut drastically in mid-2003.

However, Mr. Portune, the lone Democrat, is recommending spending millions more than Mr. Krings proposed. His counterproposal includes money to revitalize communities' business districts, modernize voting equipment and add emergency sirens.

The money is available, Mr. Portune said, by increasing property tax projections to match Auditor Dusty Rhodes' estimate, tapping into unbudgeted money, and holding off on repaying some debt.

E-mail candrews@enquirer.com