During their regularly-scheduled board meeting, The Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services (ADAMH) Board passed a resolution “To Proceed to Levy a tax in excess of the ten-mill limitation.” This resolution is a requirement for the board to file with the Board of Elections for the May 2, 2017 ballot.

An additional levy is necessary for a number of reasons, according to ADAMH associate director Penny Dehner. “The opiate epidemic has long reaching and long lasting effects on children and families struggling with addiction. We are seeing far too many children experiencing increased mental health needs due to exposure to the opiate epidemic. The levy is needed to build health, wellness and recovery for all families in our communities.”

If passed, the levy would generate $4.6 million annually and the cost to a home owner on a $100,000 home is approximately $35 per year. This will be the second attempt asking for support of the voters to approve the passage of the 1-mill levy used to support a range of mental health and substance abuse services, including crisis, detox, treatment and prevention programming.

The ADAMH Board is responsible to ensure these services are available and accessible in a five-county area, which includes Fayette, Highland, Pickaway, Pike and Ross counties.

Board chair Jack Clark, of Circleville, expressed his concerns: “The need did not go away just because the voters didn’t approve the previous levy. The need is still there. The Paint Valley ADAMH Board has been continually providing services and building capacity for our communities for 50 years. We are committed to the residents to continue to provide services and want to use the funds generated from the 1-mill levy to provide better access to treatment, detoxification, crisis services and prevention in our schools.”

More information on the levy or ADAMH-funded services may be obtained by calling the board office at (740) 773-2283 or visiting the agency’s website at www.pvadamh.org