Editor’s note: This is the second of a week-long series of stories detailing issues and candidates which will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.
–––
The Union County Mental Health and Recovery Board (MHRB) is asking for its first increase in voter funding in decades at the Nov. 7 election.
The board is asking for both a renewal of the .5 mil levy, and a .3 mil addition. Officials say the levy, if it passes, will cost the owner of a $100,000 home less than $24 a year.
According to MHRB Executive Director Phil Atkins, the .5 mil levy has been in place since 1977. The additional .3 request is because of the increased need the board is seeing in Union County.
Among the additions the MHRB would like to see would be more treatment options for opiate addiction.
“That’s a huge issue that has affected every community,” Atkins said.
According to Atkins, Union County has remained “less hard hit” by accidental drug overdoses than other areas. And he wants to keep it that way.
“Because one is too many,” he said.
Atkins said there were “about six” accidental overdose deaths in Union County last year. As of earlier this month, there were three for 2017. Atkins said six is “a lot,” but compared to places like Marion or Greene County where deaths are measured in tens, Union County is doing better.
“Really, we just want to make sure we have access to good treatment for people who want to turn their lives around,” he said.
Tied with that is a desire by the board to increase access to “sober living.” The board currently supports one house for men and one for women, but would like to expand those services to provide housing for those in different stages of recovery.
“It’s just not the same price tag as 1977,” he said.
One area is the funding of prevention programs, which Atkins said he’d like to expand. These include the variety of early childhood mental health programs the board offers. Atkins said about 125 classrooms use programs from the board that discourage drug and alcohol use.
“We obviously want to maintain that, because it’s been really successful,” he said.
About a third of the board’s funding comes from voters, with the other avenues being grants and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. They get a combination of federal and state dollars.
Atkins said he’s exceptionally competitive with grant writing, but that sort of funding can only go so far.
“Grants are very specific to very specific purposes,” he said. “And they don’t last forever.”
He added, “While we work with them to meet local needs, flexibility is in our levy dollar,” he said.
If a problem is unique to Union County, it’s probably going to be handled with levy dollars, according to Atkins. Those counties without a mental health levy are limited in what they can offer residents.
“Their services are extremely minimal,” Atkins said. “They just can’t access things like they need to.”
Voters will have other local issues to ponder leading up to election day.
All of Union County will vote on a renewal of the 0.25 percent sales tax, which is split evenly between senior services and the county road and bridge fund.
Marysville voters will decide on a series of charter amendments including, salary of city council all elected officials, a timeframe for the city manager to report the state of the city, giving the city manager authority to create departments and divisions, and adding a third member of the city’s board of control.
Voters in Leesburg, Millcreek and Paris townships will be voting on fire, EMS and police protection levies. Leesburg Township is seeking to renew a five year, 4-mills levy for fire and EMS while Paris Township is seeking to renew a 5.9 mills, three year fire and police levy. Millcreek Township voters will decide on the three-year replacement of a 4.8-mills fire and EMS levy.
Millcreek Township voters are also being asked to renew a 1.7 mils levy for Delaware Area Career Center renovations and expenses.
York and Union township voters will decide the fate of cemetery levies, a 0.5-mills replacement and a 1.5-mills renewal respectively.
Voters in the North Union School District will have their say on a pair of issues. The Richwood/North Union Library is asking for a five year, 1-mill replacement levy. Tri-Rivers Career Center is asking voters to renew a 1.3 mils levy for operating expenses.
Local liquor options will be decided in Marysville Ward 7, Windsong Chinese, Liberty Township Precinct 2, for Dalton Union Winery, and Jerome Township Precinct 2 for the Wild Ginger Bistro.