When Piatt County residents head to the polls in a few weeks, they will be asked to decide on a tax to support a mental health board.

Tony Kirkman with the Piatt County Mental Health Center explains a '708 board' would collect a nominal tax and be able to distribute to qualifying programs in Piatt County.

The tax is allowed to go as high as 0.15 percent. Kirkman has messaged to the Piatt County Board, his agency would not need anything close to that to maintain its services and in fact, neighboring counties have not maxed out their rates on this tax. 

Kirkman explains there is quite a challenge at the Piatt County Mental Health Center because they are vastly underfunded by the State of Illinois and the costs of their services continue to go up.

The State of Illinois promised taxes from the legalized adult-use marijuana would go into agencies like the Piatt County Mental Health Center. Kirkman says he's still waiting on the check from those taxes which have recorded record numbers in the last few years.

The need in the community not only is apparent but it continues to show that people young and old utilize the services of the Piatt County Mental Health Center.

Kirkman notes, if a 708 tax is approved, there would be a Board that is established to decide how those dollars are then distributed to agencies in Piatt County.