By an under 2,000 vote margin, Sangamon County voters approved a .5% tax increase to fund a mental health board.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - By an under 2,000 vote margin, Sangamon County voters approved a .5% tax increase to fund a mental health board.

The tax will not apply to items like groceries, medications and items purchased with a title, like a car. The increase breaks down to 50 cents on an $100 purchase, but is expected to generate more than $14 million per year.  

"That should give us a lot of money to enhance the programs that we have," said Mike Murphy, the chairman of the Sangamon County Mental Health Commission. "We had provider after provider come in and tell us how this money could really make a difference, and so now the challenge is going to be getting started." 

The Sangamon County Mental Health Commission was created at the recommendation of the Massey Commission. It was the Mental Health Commission's job to determine if a mental health board would be beneficial and how it would be funded. They met with mental health boards from other counties and were inspired to see the changes they made. 

"Winnebago County has reduced the number of their 911 calls, ending up in jail or the hospital by 60%," Murphy said. "If we could do something like that, how big of an impact would that have on our community? If somebody needs help, they call 911, and they get the right help." 

Murphy explained that the mental health board would act as a centralized organization that helps coordinate groups and providers in the Sangamon County area. For example, they could create a list of providers that accept certain types of insurance, or fund programs that bring mental healthcare directly to the community. They could also fund programs for law enforcement to have mental health case workers on call for emergencies. 

"Current programs need to be a lot deeper and a lot wider," Murphy said. "We just don't have enough bodies to do that, and this finding will make sure that they can do it." 

Next on the docket is determining when the new tax will take effect and deciding who will be on the mental health board. 

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