‘Can I hold her?’ | We shadowed a JFS caseworker in Hamilton County. This is what we saw.

Sidney Posey is getting ready to leave. Then, the baby wakes up.

Can I hold her?

In the car 15 minutes later, Posey tells me she doesnt hold all the babies she meets. The newborns are too fragile. But this child is different.

This is the last time shell see her.

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Posey is an assessment caseworker for Hamilton County Job and Family Services. That means she is one of the first people to get involved after a report is made. It could be a report of abuse, or just someone looking for resources.

She tells me she almost never knows what she's going to be doing when she starts her day.

I just got a new case this morning, Posey said.

Thats not the one were going to. The case we're going to is one where JFS got involved because the child wasnt growing. Her weight didnt change for months after she was born.

In the apartment, the baby is awake. And she's a lot bigger now.

Hi, Posey said. Remember me?

On Nov. 3, voters in Hamilton County will decide whether to fund a children services levy. It's why I'm meeting with Posey. Because I want to see how some of the money the tax hike would generate is spent.

Officials say the number of kids who need help 13,000 last year has increased. And so has the cost, they say.

But this is not the only tax levy voters in the county must consider. There is also a levy for Cincinnati Public Schools, and the proposed tax increase to fund JFS has made headlines over the past few months.

Very tough decision, said Alicia Reece, a Hamilton County commissioner, at a July meeting. If we really (are) concerned about the children, weve got to get just as creative as we get with these stadiums."

"Weve got to find a new model," she said in another meeting.

Ultimately, she abstained from voting on whether to place the tax hike on the upcoming ballot. The other two commissioners did.

Reece did not respond to an interview request for this story. We also reached out to several other people to discuss why they might vote against the levy and did not hear back.

This is what the tax levy will cost:

The current levy costs homeowners roughly $81 per year for every $100,000 in assessed home value. The levy this November would raise that cost to $121 for every $100,000.

And heres what it funds:

Child abuse and neglect investigations Family reunification Adoption Foster care support

Bob Anderson, the director of Hamilton County Job and Family Services, tells me his agency has already cut more $36 million in the budget.

We do understand the ask of our community, but its just such an important levy, Anderson said. I think the commissioners took that into account."

Most of the services the agency provides are mandated by law. If the levy fails, officials will need to find money from other places to continue funding the work.

Work like Posey is doing.

Even in a few days, it seems like shes grown, Posey said.

Shes here now to drop off a form for a special kind of milk to help the young girl gain even more weight. She's also here to say goodbye.

Because the child and her family will soon transition to a different caseworker, someone in the teams continuing care division. Before Posey leaves, she holds the girl and tosses her up in the air.

Then, she walks down the stairs to her car. To start on her next case.