MANSFIELD — Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services is seeking to renew a levy voters first passed about 40 years ago.
Since its original approval in 1986, the levy has been replaced and renewed on a few occasions, Sherry Branham-Fonner told county commissioners Tuesday morning.
Branham-Fonner, executive director of Richland County MH&RS, said voters have remained constant in their support of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board.
“With concerns in 2025 — in relationship to mental health and substance use disorder — I think we can all agree that the services delivered by the Board and the funds that support the agencies that deliver those services are vastly important to the health and well-being of our community,” she said.
“If you do not have good mental health, you do not have good physical health. Without those two things, people can’t really stay employed and be prosperous members of our society,” Branham-Fonner said.
Commissioners approved a resolution of necessity to place a 1-mill levy renewal on the ballot this November. As a renewal, the levy would maintain current tax levels if passed by voters.
Cost, necessity of levy renewal
Carey Vogt, Richland County MH&RS associate director/CFO, said the tax currently costs property owners 10 cents per $100 of appraised property value. For a property valued at $100,000, the cost would be roughly $100 annually.
Vogt said the levy has generated slightly more than $2 million annually the past few years.
Those funds help Richland County MH&RS “secure sufficient funds to plan, establish and maintain unified services — primarily for the mentally ill, drug- or alcohol-dependent individuals, their families and the general population.”
There are also several properties Richland County MH&RS owns that Branham-Fonner said are in need of some repairs and renovations.
Tuesday morning’s discussion was an opportunity for taxpayers to see where a segment of their dollars go, said Commissioner Tony Vero.
Commissioners asked Richland County MH&RS to provide some financial information, including a five-year review, a five-year projection and cash balances, which includes things like staff salaries.
Vero said this procedure is standard when reviewing proposed levy renewals or increases and Richland County MH&RS provided all of the necessary data.
The Board has policies in place which require specific reserves to maintain certain funding levels. With uncertainty surrounding the amount of federal and state funding moving forward, it’s important for the reserves to be carried, Branham-Fonner said.
“We’re trying to be conservative and hold enough back so we don’t have to just cut services immediately,” she said.
“We’ll be able to be planful in meeting the needs of the people in the county and planful in relationship to supporting the contract agencies and the affiliate agencies that we currently provide funding to,” the executive director said.
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