Butler County seeks renewal of mental health tax levy
With the money from the renewal levy, the MHARS board plans to continue to expand its suicide prevention outreach programs as well as mental health care and addiction recovery services.
This story was produced by Miami University journalism students Cassidy Gordon and Carleigh Wissel in partnership with The Oxford Free Press.
As Butler County residents prepare to head to the polls for the midterm election, one issue on the ballot may be getting less attention than the candidates and races surrounding it – the county’s mental health levy.
The Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Butler County is asking residents to vote yes on a renewal levy, a 1-mill, 10-year property tax levy, which would generate around $8.5 million annually for the board.
“Without this levy, again, it's a renewal, so it will not increase taxes,” said Martina Weber, associate director of the MHARS board.
The board works with local partners to provide services to Butler County residents with mental health services and addiction recovery support.
With the money from the renewal levy, the MHARS board plans to continue to expand its suicide prevention outreach programs as well as mental health care and addiction recovery services. It will also be able to continue to give out grants to their partners.
One of their partners is the local office of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Rhonda Benson, executive director of NAMI in Butler County, says the MHARS board does a lot for the community and is in favor of renewing the levy.
“It’s about the people that we serve, not the money,” Benson said. “It’s about what the money does for those people.”
NAMI, which runs support groups for veterans and families in Butler County as well as training for first responders, has received grant funding from MHARS in the past and also rents space from the organization.
“The moment that the mental health board can step in and help subsidize things, the easier it’s going to be on everybody to get the treatments that they need,” Benson said. “The need for treatment is not going to go away.”
Butler County voters approved a different levy for the MHARS board in 2024. The 2024 levy and the one currently up for renewal make up about 65% of the board’s budget. Voters also approved levies in 2014, 2016 and 2020.
The vote comes at a time when MHARS is facing heightened scrutiny. The Journal-News reports that the Butler County Commissioners raised concerns with discrepancies in the agency’s spending when they approved putting the renewal levy on the ballot. We reached out to Commissioner Don Dixon for comment but received no response.
Early in-person voting ends at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1 – just two days prior to the general election on Nov. 3.
Voters can find information on early voting, polling locations and view a sample ballot on www.ohiosos.gov/elections.
