Wheeling Township City Corridor is positioned at 1616 N. Arlington Heights Highway, Arlington Heights.
Wheeling and Vernon Township residents may very well be requested to assist a property tax improve referendum within the November election to offset bills to determine a neighborhood psychological well being board.
Such a board would guarantee all residents have equal entry to a top quality, complete care supply system for individuals affected psychological sickness, habit, or developmental disabilities.
Arlington Heights resident Lorri Grainawi, with the grassroots group Advocate For 708, stated she and others are working to acquire a minimal of two,200 signatures by the tip of June to position a referendum on the November poll.
In keeping with Grainawi, the objective of the referendum can be to generate an extra $1.5 million in income for psychological well being providers which might be at present not supplied by townships or native municipalities.
If the referendum is positioned on the November poll and accredited by voters, she stated an proprietor of a house with a house market worth of $325,000 would pay an extra $28 in taxes on an annual foundation.
“Once we spoke to police and fireplace chiefs from our most important villages, the 2 huge issues they wish to see are both a social employee or extra social employees for his or her departments in addition to a neighborhood well being disaster heart,” Grainawi stated. “Proper now, in the event that they reply a name, psychological well being motion must be taken.”
She stated that police and firefighters at present solely have two choices when responding to a psychological well being name — take that individual to jail or a close-by hospital — and both state of affairs requires them to fill out paperwork. If somebody have been to be taken to a disaster heart, no paperwork can be required, giving that individual in search of remedy extra choices, Grainawi stated.
The place a middle can be positioned in Wheeling Township has but to be decided, including it might be as much as the neighborhood psychological well being board to make a suggestion to the Wheeling Township Board of Trustees.
Moreover, Vernon Township is contemplating inserting a query on the poll in November. Nevertheless, that township’s board would vote on whether or not or not the query needs to be posed to voters in these communities. Grainawi stated Wheeling Township is attempting to acquire signatures to position a query on the poll as a result of they’re going to want assist from the neighborhood anyway, and organizers consider that is the very best strategy to acquiring that objective.
Grainawi added that Wheeling Township has not been overly receptive to date, largely partially to not sufficient understanding about most important function of what they’re attempting to attain. She famous they wish to inform the Wheeling Township board {that a} committee of 7-9 native residents appointed by the township supervisor can be fashioned beneath them inside 90 days after the referendum is supported by voters, and any bills would nonetheless must be accredited by the township board, which might nonetheless have affect on how issues would run going ahead.
So far, over 900 signatures have been collected relationship again to final summer time.
Ought to they not achieve success in acquiring the wanted signatures to be positioned on the poll, or a referendum fails in November, Grainawi stated they’d attempt once more in one other election.
Grainawi turned concerned in psychological well being work after being concerned in comparable organizations through the years and after the lack of a member of the family.
“If I can assist a household and scale back the stigma, we will create extra sources on the identical time, as a result of I perceive how laborious it was to get assist,” she stated.
The group will host an occasion from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Could 16 at Continental Restaurant, 788 S. Buffalo Grove Rd., Buffalo Grove, to gather signatures from as many individuals as doable.
These with questions can e-mail Grainawi at lorri.grainawi@gmaill.com or name 224-800-1639. For extra data, go to www.advocatefor708.com.
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