The Sangamon County Board has approved a referendum to establish a Mental Health Board, which will be presented to voters in the 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election. The resolution highlights that one in five adults experience a mental health illness annually and references the tragic killing of Sonya Massey in July 2024 as evidence of the county's inadequate mental health infrastructure.
The proposed Mental Health Board would focus on closing service gaps, enhancing access to treatment, and improving outcomes for individuals with mental health conditions, developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders. If approved by voters in 2026, the board would allocate funds from a dedicated local property tax, ensuring that resources are targeted effectively to meet the community’s mental health needs.
Public Health Committee Chairman James Schackmann expressed strong support for the proposal, sharing a personal connection to the issue. “This is about improving how we support mental health needs in our community,” Schackmann stated. “It’s an issue that hits close to home for me, as I’ve experienced the challenges of dealing with mental health struggles in my own family. It is my belief that the creation of a Mental Health Board would allow us to better coordinate services, secure funding, and focus on areas of greatest need. It could provide a dedicated resource to address gaps in mental health care, expand access to treatment, and improve outcomes for individuals and families alike. This is an opportunity to take a big step forward in how we care for our community, and I’m excited about the potential it has to make lasting change.”
The board has established a commission of up to nine citizens to assess the community's mental health service needs, study successful implementations of similar boards elsewhere, and educate the public about the potential benefits. The commission will operate transparently, in compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act, and is expected to deliver its findings by December 1, 2025. An initial sum of $50,000 has been appropriated to support the commission's efforts.
The referendum will ask voters whether the county should levy an annual tax to fund community mental health facilities and services, aiming to provide sustainable financial resources to address these needs.