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Genesee County voters give OK to tax hike for mental health
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
mental health weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7583
pISSN - 1058-1103
DOI - 10.1002/mhw.32788
Subject(s) - mental health , revenue , agency (philosophy) , business , tax revenue , public health , public administration , political science , finance , medicine , sociology , nursing , psychiatry , law , social science
With a majority totaling just under 55% of those who cast ballots, Genesee County, Michigan voters on May 4 approved a 10‐year increase in the county's property tax rate to finance improvements to the mental health system. The revenue generated from the approved increase will pay for initiatives in seven focus areas, with projects ranging from a new crisis center to stepped‐up police training in mental health crisis response to programs for youth (see MHW , May 3). According to a news release from Genesee Health System, the countywide public mental health agency that will manage the mental health infrastructure improvements, Genesee County becomes the sixth county in Michigan to provide property millage support for mental health services. “We will be organizing community‐based teams around the seven focus areas seeking input … on the needs and following best practices by those in the field,” said Genesee Health System CEO Dan Russell. Just over 43,000 of the county's 343,000 registered voters cast ballots in this month's special election, which county commissioners authorized after having hesitated to bring the proposal to voters in 2020.