From Faith in Action:
For those in the congregation who live in Wheeling Township: Please fill out the Wheeling Township Mental Health Community Survey. This survey was sent inside the recently mailed Fall 2023 Wheeling Township Report. In order for surveys to be considered, surveys must be original (no photocopies) and emailed back or delivered to the township building. Faith in Action can deliver these completed surveys if you want to bring them to church on Sunday. We should have a table set up to provide information about the Wheeling Township decision calling for a revote on the referendum which established a 708/Mental Health Board (which passed by 2000 votes in 2022).
Background:
In the summer of 2022, FUMCAH, along with a consortium of local faith communities, recognized the need for more local mental health resources, particularly more short-term, emergency interventions for residents experiencing mental health crises. Our congregation signed petitions to put a referendum for a 708 Mental Health Board, to be administered through Wheeling Township (as designated by Illinois Law). This 708 / Mental Health Board referendum passed by 2000 votes. However, recently, Wheeling Township decided the language allowing for township to collect taxes for the 708 Board was troublesome and vague, possibly leaving the township open for potential lawsuits. Although other townships facing this same concerns chose to wait to see if the Illinois Legislature cleared up this potential confusion, Wheeling Township decided to put the issue up for a revote in the 2024 March general election. The Wheeling Township Board also decided to include the maximum amount of tax that could be charged, ($8 million) rather than listing the advocate-requested figure of $1.5 million. An October 3 Daily Herald editorial states “rushing a new referendum to the ballot … can only be seen as an effort to contradict their [township voters] wishes.”
Faith in Action will continue to work with other faith communities and local mental health agencies to support the establishment of a Wheeling Township Mental Health Board. We are committed to providing much-needed mental health services to our community.