SCOTT COUNTY BOARD PUTS TAX FOR MENTAL HEALTH ON BALLOT

BENTON -- Scott County voters will decide April 4 if they want to pay a 10-cent property tax for mental health services.

Scott County commissioners approved putting the measure on the April ballot Thursday.

The county commission has the power to implement or expand revenues for the county's mental health board, which was established in 1992.

The mental health tax is already in effect in Cape Girardeau and Perry counties. Perry County was the first to pass the tax and 10 other counties in the state have it.

With an assessed valuation of $235 million in Scott County, the proposed tax would generate about $235,000 annually.

The new tax will cost $9.50 per year for a residence with an appraised valuation of $50,000. Property owners with 100 acres of top-grade farmland will pay $10.73 annually in mental health taxes.

Ellie Knight of Scott City, chairman of the mental health board since its inception, said the campaign theme will be, "Healthy families equal productive communities."

A random survey of Scott County residents showed 88 percent support for assistance in dealing with family problems and for financial aid to families without the means to pay all of the costs, Knight said.

"We did a lot of research on this," Knight said about the proposal. "We would like to address the needs in mental health at earlier ages rather than waiting for crisis intervention."

Knight said the board found that anger in families was spilling into communities and leading to more violence. She said the board saw a need to help families deal with anger and frustrations, marriage counseling and citizens facing depression.

Ron Steinmetz, executive director of Bootheel Counseling Services based in Sikeston and a member of the mental health board, said most state funding provides services to those who are seriously mentally ill.

"That leaves very little funding for specialized care for children and families -- people who are depressed and others seeking counseling on a sliding scale basis for anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse," Steinmetz said.

Agencies helping with these problems are "very much underfunded," Steinmetz said. "They are providing good services, but not nearly to the extent that needs to be done."

Steinmetz said there's a "crying need" for crisis intervention, but there are no funds in Scott County for this.

With extra funds, mental health professionals could respond with juvenile officers for face-to-face evaluations of young people in trouble, Steinmetz said. These mental health workers could also become involved with police officers handling domestic disturbance calls, he said.

"If mental health professionals were available for these situations, it would be very helpful," Steinmetz said. "They could help the police defuse situations and people are more likely to accept help when there is a crisis."

Steinmetz said additional funds could provide workshops for parents and children in different areas of mental health, such as stress management, dealing with anger, overcoming drug abuse and understanding reactions of others.

Steinmetz said early prevention would combat a lot of the family disruption and violence. With the funding from the proposed tax, these extra programs could play a big part in mental health, he said.

The mental health tax has been a good program in Cape Girardeau County, said Dr. Harold Ridings, chairman of the Cape Girardeau County Mental Health Board.

His board dispersed $378,000 to county agencies providing mental health services last year. He said the funds are not the sole support for any of the agencies, but what is contributed helps a great deal in paying for qualified personnel.

The bulk of the funds goes to the Community Counseling Center. The other Cape Girardeau agencies receiving funds for mental health services are The Gibson Recovery Center, Lutheran Children & Family Services and the Women's Safe House.

"For the Safe House, the funds are quite significant," Ridings said. "They are always stretched to the maximum there. We think it's a great benefit to help that program."

All four groups involve significant mental health counseling, Ridings said. The clients usually can pay only a little or nothing for the services.