CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio– The passage of Issue 3 renews a tax levy in Cuyahoga County that will help expand resources for its community college district.

53 Year-old father of three, Steven Brooks has spent many hours with IT hardware and walking the halls of Cuyahoga County Community College, or Tri-C, as it’s known, Brooks balances work and fatherhood.

“It’s very challenging, I’m kind of always tired but, you know, it keeps you going, it keeps you striving, it keeps you wanting to be better, “says Steven Brooks, Tri-C student.

And, with ten years in the IT field, he’s taking advantage of the resources to stay employable, and hopefully, even earn a promotion in his industry.

“It’s always changing, and I either go and learn something else or get left behind in old technology, which I’m not willing to do,” says Brooks.

The Tri-C Tax levy renews 1.9 million dollars and adds 400,000 dollars in funding to the school’s programs for students seeking an affordable higher education option and job training.  With the property tax increase, the owner of a 100,000 dollar home would pay an extra 14 dollars a year.

That tax increase is worth it for the non-partisan League of Women Voters. “Having a skilled, trained labor force is so important to this region. We’re a rust belt area, we need new technologies, health care center, and so many people can get their start in community college,” says Janice Patterson, League of Women Voters.

One of those students getting their start is 20-year-old student Balquise Alshafei, who lives on her own while managing life as a full-time student.

“It’s challenging, you know, it gets lonely sometimes,” says Alshafei.

But the tax levy will allow Tri-C, the lowest costing school in Ohio, to keep tuition affordable, so students like her can have more opportunity to reach their educational ceiling.