By Bobby Warren / Staff Writer
Posted Nov 7, 2017 at 10:27 PMUpdated Nov 7, 2017 at 10:36 PM
WOOSTER — Voters in Wayne and Holmes counties want to continue to fund vital operations and programming to aid those battling mental health and addiction issues as they approved a replacement levy Tuesday.
“It’s fantastic,” Executive Director Judy Wortham Wood said of the passage of the 1-mill, 10-year replacement levy.
From the time the first absentee ballot numbers were released, the fate never appeared to be in doubt, but Wood said it’s never certain. The unofficial results from Wayne and Holmes counties show 18,727 (66.15 percent) voted for the levy, and 9,583 (33.85 percent) voted against it.
Wood was particularly pleased with the results from Holmes County. Early research indicated this was the first time voters in Holmes passed the levy.
Normally, there were enough votes coming out of Wayne County to maintain a winning margin.
According to Wood, outreach to the “plain community,” as well as programming of its partners in schools and the Holmes County commissioners joining in the celebration of Recovery Awareness Month, contributed to the positive outcome.
The numbers in Holmes County were 2,912 for and 1,745 against. In Wayne, it was 15,815 for and 7,838 against.
The Mental Health and Recovery Board does not provide direct care to patients and clients. Instead, money it receives from the state and the levy are used to support partner agencies who provide assessment, diagnostic, recovery and treatment services. The levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $35 a year.
Reporter Bobby Warren can be reached at 330-287-1639 or bwarren@the-daily-record.com. He is @BobbyWarrenTDR on Twitter.