In less than two months, Sangamon County residents will determine, through a referendum vote, whether the county should levy a limited 0.5% sales tax increase to fund a Mental Health Board that would distribute tax dollars to social service providers. Members of the county commission that recommended the Sangamon County Board adopt referendum language for a dedicated mental health board visited the Citizens Club of Springfield on Jan. 23 to drum up support for the upcoming referendum.
The sales tax increase would add an additional 5 cents of tax per $10 of goods purchased and would not be included on grocery or medication. If approved, the tax would generate more than $14 million for a mental health board, according to county estimates.
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The vast majority of counties in Illinois have public entities called 708 boards funding mental health efforts, named after the decades-old Illinois bill-turned-law to grant the creation of such boards through a public vote, which approve funding for local social service organizations through some form of tax revenue. While grants regularly prop up nonprofit organizations, 708 boards can stabilize funding for mental health services.
Mike Murphy, president and CEO of The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, chaired the county’s exploratory commission of mental health boards. It included additional recommendations for instituting a mental health board.
“I want to make sure that we’re checking them,” Murphy said. “I don’t want to establish this and then assume they’re going to do a good job. I think it’s going to be the responsibility of the County Board and others to make sure that they’re actually performing.”
Murphy, a Republican member of the Statehouse from 2018 through 2021 and former owner of Charlie Parker’s Diner, also reiterated that Springfield has a number of social service providers, but services are often limited due to funding and operating hours.
“We have a lot of great programs out there, but they’re an inch deep and a foot wide. And they need to be a lot deeper and a lot wider,” he said.
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Ryan Croke, president of the Mid-Illinois Medical District Commission, shared some of the efforts underway to generate support for the referendum.
“There are letters going out to the general public, a few letters targeted at different audiences across the county,” Croke said. He is also hosting a Vote Yes For Mental Health fundraiser from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 26, at Hanson Professional Services, 1525 S. Sixth St.
If approved by the referendum vote on March 17, the County Board would be responsible for appointing members to the mental health board.
Citizens Club president Joyce Nardulli asked Murphy, “What happens if this referendum fails?”
“Status quo,” Murphy said.
