RICHLAND COUNTY, Ohio — Richland County voters will consider two health levy renewals next month. However, supporters of each measure quickly note a common theme: no new or increased taxes.
The Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services Tax Levy is seeking a 10-year, 1-mill renewal on the Nov. 3 ballot.
“This covers about 40 percent of our budget,” said Joe Trolian, executive director of MH&RS. “Over the last 30 years this community has supported a legacy of hope and success.”
The measure was originally passed in 1986, renewed in 1997, 2006 and 2010. It became more crucial to the agency when Medicaid left the system and took federal and state dollars with it.
Trolian said the levy generates about $2 million annually and covers the bulk of crisis services, all of the organization’s education funding, and provides a subsidy for the underinsured as well as diagnostic expenses.
Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services and its service provider agencies include Catalyst Life Services, Family Life Counseling and Psychiatric Services, Mansfield Urban Minority Alcohol and Drug Addiction Outreach Program, Community Action for Capable Youth, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Three C Counseling, Visiting Nurse Association of Mid-Ohio, Abraxas, Foundations for Living and Richland County Youth and Family Counseling. Those agencies provide services to more than 10,000 Richland County residents annually through treatment, prevention and education, Trolian reported.
“It’s not a partisan issue,” Trolian said. “The benefit is to people all over the county. We can also leverage state funding by having local funding.”
Likewise, the Richland County Public Health Tax Levy Renewal is a 10-year 0.9-mill renewal that aims to fund numerous health department services, including a full-service clinic, inspection of everything from restaurants to sewage and septic systems, testing services, food services, and sending nurses into county school districts.
In addition, the measure funds preventive activities for flu shots, child immunizations, emergency preparedness programs, and senior health assessments.
“This is not a new tax,” emphasized Kevin VanMeter, director of fiscal operations for the Mansfield Ontario Richland County Health Department. “Some people don’t realize how they benefit from our services, everyone who lives in the community receives some service from the health department.
“We’re the behind-the-scenes people when they go to a restaurant, we’ve already been there for health inspections.”
The measure originally passed in 1995 and was renewed in 2005. It costs the owner of a $100,000 home about $30 per year and generates about $1.6 million per year.
“This really benefits the mission we have in the county to provide a healthy and safe place to live and work.”
