Schiavoni, Cafaro disappointed in Kasich's closure commission decision

July 1, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

Gov. John Kasich signed into law a $71 billion-plus biennial budget Tuesday night, but not before using his veto pen on 44 provisions – including a proposed commission to review the closing of developmental centers in Austintown and Dayton.

“The administration has a deep commitment to making sure individuals with developmental disabilities are in the least-restrictive environment possible and has, therefore, continued Ohio’s decade-long practice of providing opportunities for individuals with disabilities to, when appropriate, transition from institutional settings to home- and community-based settings if they choose,” the governor wrote in his veto message. “Such settings are widely considered by experts in the field to be more advantageous to individuals’ well being.”

He added that the proposed closure commission “would potentially erect barriers to the right-sizing of the system and insert political or other considerations into a process which should be exclusively focused on the needs of Ohioans with developmental disabilities. Therefore, this veto is in the public interest.”

Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, one of the Mahoning Valley legislators supporting the closure commission amendment, voiced disappointment with the decision Tuesday.

He called the veto “a slap in the face to the family members and the workers that have testified, not only in the district but down here in Columbus, about how important these facilities are to our most vulnerable residents. [It’s clear to supporters of the closure commission] that the governor’s not interested in listening to the residents. He’s not interested in listening to the general assembly. But what he is interested in is having that unfettered power to make those decisions.”

The closings of the Youngstown Developmental Center and another facility in the Dayton area drew dozens of affected families to the Statehouse to offer testimony during budget deliberations in recent months.

The closings were announced before the budget was introduced. Both facilities are scheduled to cease operations in about two years. About 180 disabled residents and 400 employees are expected to be impacted.

Sen. Capri Cafaro of Hubbard, D-32nd, offered in a statement, “I have worked with the families and loved ones of YDC for the past several months, listening to their fears should YDC close its doors. These individuals will be devastated that the residents of YDC will now be displaced without any recourse. Frankly, I too, share in that devastation. The residents of YDC and MDC deserved a chance to stay in what has become their homes. The closure commission would have at least given them a fighting chance, and now that has been taken away.”

The administration has cited a decreasing population of disabled residents among other reasons for the closings. Residency at state-run centers has dropped about 40 percent over the past eight years.

Other line-item vetoes removed the tangible personal property reimbursement supplement payment to certain school districts in the second year of the biennium as well as funding guarantees for wealthy school districts.