ASHTABULA — A group of area mental health professionals, social service workers, judges and others gathered Friday morning to support a .6 mill renewal levy for the Ashtabula County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, on the May ballot.
MHRS Executive Director Kaitie Hart detailed the programs the levy helps fund throughout Ashtabula County. She said the levy has passed every five years for the last 50 years.
“This levy was first passed in 1974,” Park said. She said the levy is essential to provide a wide array of services to the public.
Ashtabula County Public Defender’s Office Director Megan Brunarski started off the event, which was attended by about 30 people. She serves as the president of the board.
“As a public defender, a lot of these services are important to my clients,” she said.
Ashtabula County Commissioner Kathryn Whittington said the the services provided are very important to the county.
“Get the word out,” she said of the importance of voting.
Whittington said the election is May 6, but early voting starts Tuesday at the Ashtabula County Board of Elections office in Jefferson.
Park said the levy is still based on 2015 property values, so it will not cause an increase in people’s taxes. She said the ballot states the cost to be $21 per every $100,000 of property value per year, but is actually closer to $14 because of the older property evaluation.
She said the total money collected annually is a bit more than $1.1 million.
Park said the services are provided to the most vulnerable people in the county through relationships with Community Counseling, Signature Health and others.
She said the organization helps fund a local crisis intervention hotline for people who may need to talk.
Programs to assist those recovering from addiction are also an important part of the organization’s work, Hart said. She said the finding housing for those coming out of treatment is an important part of the group’s work.
Park said the board assists in finding guardians for those not capable of handling their own affairs.
Another important connection to the criminal justice system is providing resources for those who need help while incarcerated.
Park said the board has approved up to $10,000 to pay for the levy campaign, but hopes that will not be necessary.
The board also has a training and education component, as well as an emphasis on prevention.
The board contracts with 10 different agencies to provide a variety of services through Cadence Care Network, Catholic Charities of Ashtabula County, Coleman Professional Services, Community Counseling Center, Family Pride, Forensic Psychiatric Center for NE Ohio, Glenbeigh Hospital, Help Network for Northeast Ohio, Lake Area Recovery Center and Signature Health, Inc.