Friday, August 17th, 2018
Officials ask voters to renew levy for mental health help
By Tom Stankard
The Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Allen, Auglaize and Hardin Counties is asking voters in the three counties to renew its 1-mill levy.
The 5-year operating levy is set to expire at the end of 2019. The renewal would not raise taxes, continuing to cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $30 per year, board executive director Michael Schoenhofer said.
The levy, which was first passed in 2014, collects about $3 million annually and $15 million over five years in Auglaize County.
The funds collected represent a significant portion of the board's budget, covering an array of services, from in-patient detox to psychiatric treatment and counseling for adults and youth, Schoenhofer noted.
Programs funded by the board include Coleman, adult mental health and alcohol and drug treatment; Family Resource Center, children and youth mental health and alcohol and drug treatment and school outreach programs; Partnership for Violence Free Families, prevention programs for safe kids and communities; Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Programs, criminal justice alcohol and drug treatment and prevention; Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth, youth and adult mental health and alcohol and drug treatment; and school outreach programs.
The programs have served 16,602 people in the three counties, including 14,289 adults and children with mental illness and 2,313 adults and children with alcohol and other drug issues, according to the agency.
