Piatt county votes in favor of mental health referendum

PIATT COUNTY, Ill. (WAND) — Piatt County voted in favor of a tax levy to help fund mental health facilities.

The leaders said the tax increase will help the county establish a community mental health board, which is already in place in most counties in the state.

All precincts are reporting, with 60% of voters voting in favor of the proposal.

The Executive Director of the Piatt County Mental Health Center, Tony Kirkman, told WAND News in October, this will help address the treatment shortage in Piatt County, "In Piatt County, we have roughly 16,000 individuals and we only have about 8 or 9 licensed professionals in the county. So, for many, many years, there was a treatment shortage and we're now trying to protect what we already have here in place."

Kirkman had also said the funds will help allocate funds to organizations and agencies focusing on addressing mental health, addiction, and developmental disabilities.