SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - In a survey sent out to Sangamon County residents, 41% of respondents said they needed mental health resources. In the same survey, only 17% of mental health providers said they had adequate funding to do their jobs.
"We are a long ways off from having the resources we need as a community to do that," said Josh Sabo, a member of the Sangamon County Mental Health Commission. "There's a significant amount of need in this community, and there's a lot of programs that we don't have that we have seen be beneficial in helping people connect with mental health care services."
According to Mike Murphy, chairman of the Sangamon County Mental Health Commission, state law says mental health boards have to be funded by either sales taxes or property taxes. Due to the amount they need, and the current tax rate, the commission decided to propose a .5 percent sales tax increase. The increase would be necessary for a mental health board to exist in Sangamon County.
"The mental health board would distribute that money to other agencies throughout the area to support mental health activities," Murphy said. "The board wouldn't provide services themselves; they would just support others who are doing these services who have gaps in funding."
Murphy explained that the mental health board would be focused on the state of mental health in the county. They would keep track of resources available to residents and ensure money is going to the right places.
According to the minutes from the Sept. 3 mental health commission meeting, a .50% sales tax increase would bring in $14,722,366 in estimated revenue. The Mental Health Board would be responsible for distributing that.
The tax increase would mean a 5-cent increase on purchases of $10. Commission members think that it is a worthy investment in the county's health.
"This will obviously cost us more," Sabo said. "But for a little bit of change, we could change the life of a loved one, and we may not even know that."
The commission will make a recommendation to the county board by Dec. 1. If the county board approves it, the tax rate hike will be presented to voters as a referendum in the Spring elections.
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