Mental Health Sales Tax Passes in Winnebago County
Although the news is crowded with all things Coronavirus, elections are happening. And a very important referendum passed in Winnebago County. Voters in Winnebago County have passed a sales tax to help mental health services in the county.
The vote passed with 62% voting "yes" on the sales tax while 38% voted "no." WREX details more on the new change -
The referendum will increase the sales tax from from 7.25 percent to 7.75 percent.
Supporters of the referendum say there is no local funding for mental health and addiction services and that the tax will bring in millions of dollars.
It's been found that around 300 people die from mental health related issues in Winnebago County alone. So how much will that really bring in? According to WREX -
Interim county administrator Steve Chapman said the amount of money the tax could generate is somewhere in the range of the $13-14 million.
This is a big step in the right direction for mental health.