After months of study, community input and analysis, the Sangamon County Mental Health Commission (SCMHC) has approved its final report and videos recommending the creation of a Sangamon County 708 Mental Health Board to coordinate and expand mental-health and substance-use services across the county. If the county board agrees with the recommendations, the question of whether to establish and fund a mental health board will be placed before Sangamon County voters in March 2026.
The Commission presented its findings at the county board meeting on November 10, 2025.
The Commission was appointed by the county board to study the impact of establishing a mental health board, and how to fund it.
The Commission’s findings highlight widespread community support for increased investment in mental health care. In a survey conducted as part of this work:
- Four out of ten Sangamon County residents reported an unmet mental health need in the last three years.
- 89 percent of residents surveyed support more county funding for mental-health services.
- 83 percent favor having mental-health professionals respond alongside law enforcement during crises.
- Only 17 percent of professionals surveyed believe current services are adequate, with nearly 70 percent reporting challenges connecting clients to appropriate care.
The report outlines five priority investment areas for the proposed board:
- Crisis Co-Response Teams – pairing mental-health clinicians with law enforcement to de-escalate crises.
- Intensive Psychiatric Case Management – ongoing support for people with serious mental illness.
- Housing Case Management – helping individuals secure and maintain stable housing.
- Representative Payee Services – managing benefits for vulnerable clients to ensure stability.
- Culturally Responsive, Community-Based Programs – expanding trusted care through schools, churches and neighborhood organizations.
“Over the course of this year, it became clear that Sangamon County’s greatest health challenges are not about lack of caring—they’re about lack of coordination and consistent funding,” said Mike Murphy, chairman of the (SCMHC). “By establishing a 708 Mental Health Board, we can ensure local dollars stay local, reduce the strain on our jails and emergency departments. We agree with the previous recommendations to establish a board like this from the Massey Commission and the Mid-Illinois Medical District Commission.”
More than 90 communities in Illinois have and fund a Mental Health Board at the local government level.
“This is the first community I’ve lived in that there wasn’t a community based, financially supported solution for the mental health challenges facing the county,” said Dr. Kari Wolf, SCMHC commissioner and Chair of Psychiatry at SIU Medicine. “It is important to note that mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada. This has a tremendous impact on the health of a community, it affects relationships, families, schooling, employment – it affects every aspect of the community.”
The World Health Organization reported that for every $1 invested in scaling up treatment for depression and anxiety leads to a return of $4 in better health and ability to work.
The report proposes that the Sangamon County Board place a referendum on the March 17, 2026 ballot, asking voters to approve a 0.50 percent countywide sales-tax increase to fund the new board. The proposed measure would generate approximately $14.7 million annually—all dedicated to local mental health services. This means shoppers in Sangamon County would pay five cents more on a $10 purchase, but not on groceries, medicine and other items exempted in state law.
“This is about making sure that care, accountability, and compassion become the standard in Sangamon County,” added Josh Sabo, SCMHC commissioner and leader of Heartland Housed.
“We learned that in the urban and rural areas, a lot of the needs are very similar including increasing access to care and reducing stigma,” said Pam Neuman, SCMHC commissioner and Sangamon County farmer. “We believe if the county board moves forward, we could save lives and improve the quality of life in Sangamon County.”
The Commission’s final report and videos can be found at https://sangamonil.gov/departments/a-c/county-board/mental-health-commission.
