With fresh tax dollars on the way, Franklin County Children Services will continue its push to reduce the number of children in foster care by paying for alternatives.

"What this allows us to do is to invest even more in our communities," Executive Director Eric Fenner said last night. "We're building a capacity of high-quality services, and children and families really are the beneficiaries."

Voters maintained their near-perfect record of support for Children Services, approving the agency's request for a 10-year, 3.1-mill replacement levy.

The tax will cost homeowners about $95 a year per $100,000 of property value, starting next year, or $28 more than this year.

The more than 61 percent passing rate, according to final, unofficial results, means the agency can avoid deep spending cuts and continue to focus on the efforts that are contributing to a steep decline in both overall caseload and the number of children in paid care, officials say.

Instead of aggressively seeking custody, Children Services is trying to keep more children in their homes by linking families with services such as counseling, tutoring and emergency financial help.

Fenner stressed, however, that the agency always will seek custody when children are in danger.

"We maintain our traditional investigations for children who are at risk," he said.

The levy will raise $94 million a year, which is roughly half the annual revenue for Children Services. The agency serves about 28,000 children a year, with an active caseload of 4,600 children and just fewer than 2,000 in foster or other paid care.

Although no groups actively campaigned against the levy, officials had taken nothing for granted. The rotten economy could have been reason enough for voters to hand the agency its second-ever defeat, and first since 1980.

"There were a lot of layoffs then," spokeswoman Doris Calloway Moore said. "It was dismal."

Voters last approved a Children Services levy in 2004, but the 51 percent passing rate for the 1.9-mill tax felt close, officials said.

Fenner was thrilled with the margin last night. "This speaks volumes about the value this community places on children," he said.

rprice@dispatch.com