By: Mark Glennon*
Why would anybody in Illinois vote to create a new taxing authority to add to property tax bills? With property taxes being the second highest among the states and with polls consistently saying they are a top voter concern, you wouldn’t think such a thing could pass in a referendum anywhere the state.
But many Illinois townships and counties vote to do just that, creating what are called “708 boards.”
The boards are specifically empaneled to address local mental health needs and can only be created by local voter referendums. Some 90 of them now exist, according to a group called Advocate for 708. Proponents say they help fill gaps in available mental health services. Panel members are appointed by township or county boards, which also approve grants.
The 708 boards are taxing jurisdictions with their own power to levy a local property tax of up to 0.15% of assessed value. The cap is set by state law. That’s typically a small amount for an average homeowner, supporters say – “less than the price of a weekly cup of coffee ($1.85),” according to Advocate for 708.
Illinois, however, is already notorious for the number of different units of government it has – 8,923 by one count – far more than any other state. A new 708 panel means another line item on property tax bills.
That leads fiscal conservatives to ask why voters should approve another taxing body and why mental health services shouldn’t be handled by existing units of government.
One such critic of 708 panels is Dan Patlak, formerly a Wheeling Township assessor and commissioner at the Cook County Board of Review. If people decide that mental healthcare is important, that’s fine, Patlak told me, but the federal government spends hundreds of billions on healthcare, and state and local governments spend hundreds of millions, he said. Isn’t this a matter of getting those units of government properly directed rather than creating more bureaucracy?
Patlak and other critics are particularly concerned about spending creep that we too often see in government. The state could easily increase that 0.15% cap on 708 taxing power.
When put to local vote, however, 708 proposals often win. In November 2022 alone, voters in Will County, as well as in Addison, Lisle, Naperville, Schaumburg and Wheeling townships, approved 708 panels. In this month’s election, however, proposals were defeated in Thornton and Wayne Townships.
So, when it comes to mental health and property taxes, are Illinois voters a bit, well, schizoid?
Maybe votes for 708 panels merely reflect how strongly people feel that we have a mental health crisis. That’s understandable. Those problems are particularly common among young people.
Or maybe it’s because of widespread recognition that Illinois spends too little on the developmentally disabled, who are among those who 708 panels try to help. More support for the developmentally disabled has long had bipartisan support in Illinois. In January, Republicans and Democrats alike pushed back hard against budget cuts proposed by Gov. JB Pritzker to services for the intellectually and developmentally disabled community. They won, at least temporarily, with Pritzker agreeing to pause the cuts.
Still, it says something sad when voters have no confidence that the bureaucracies in place will respond to their needs. The better solution obviously would be for existing health authorities to do their job, but they won’t, voters apparently conclude.
In other words, maybe it’s not schizophrenia causing Illinois voters to layer another taxing authority on themselves for mental health services. Maybe it’s more like depression – about how detached and unresponsive their government has become.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
Taxpayers paid for the MOST expensive inauguration in the history of the U.S. after U.S. voters and an electoral college voted for Trump, which Trump graciously hosted at his very own Trump Towers at the expense of U.S. citizens. How does one justify a sum of $50 Million from a donor to Donald’s Trump campaign but turn a blind eye to those developmentally disabled individuals with the most mental health need?
I have always liked the word Dan Proft often uses which is “kleptocracy”. I think that really sums the 8900 units of government pretty well. Government and getting the inside scoop on contracts is big business in Illinois. Politicians in Illinois have a Mafia style business and in many ways there are similar rules and boundaries without anything being written. This is why it took so long to get Burke and Madigan. They operated quietly and needed wire taps to bury them but think about how they conducted their business by word of mouth and very little in writing for… Read more »
They put the referendum on the ballot during the primary election and many do not vote in the primary.
So middle class white suburban women disappointed with another Trump win can get free mental health coverage?
And of course, another group of public employees will be guaranteed a pension from the state.
“Illinois spends too little on the developmentally disabled”.
Please say more about how you know this, and what an appropriate amount of spending would be.
Illinois has long had many thousands on waiting lists to receive services, on which they stay sometimes for years. The list is like 12,000 currently, I think. The state has traditionally ranked near the very bottom on spending on it — and most of the other states aren’t very good either. Illinois is in violation of a consent decree for services it is supposed to provide. Stories are routine from providers screaming that they simply don’t have enough staff to meet demand. But your question is fair and, if we can get to it, we want to do a fully… Read more »
Here’s a fun and sinister equation:
Person -> Victim -> Patient = Profit / Power
sometimes it’s wise to spend money in order to save money…
for instance; when a mental health crisis escalates into a public safety incident, the cost to taxpayers soar in comparison to the the ounce of prevention 708 Mental Health Boards spend…
Understood. And proper care for the developmentally disabled is simply the right thing to do, regardless of whether it saves money. The issue, however, is existing units of government that are supposed to address this are not doing so.
I consider this a case of the existing infrastructure finding room for local specialists to make more efficient use of precious resources… addressing needs that seem to be on the rise, such as suicide rates, substance abuse, domestic violence, etc. by empowering better informed support for local initiatives…
You’re assuming everyone is acting in good faith and working efficiently. LOL
McHenry County voters made the same mistake and voted for 0.25% sales tax to fund (mental health)? Does anyone know what mental health is? The Republican County Board but the question on the ballot, the Party of less government and tax-relief? Really?
Mental health boards comprised of members politically “appointed by township or county boards”. Now, that’s crazy.
First the voters say they are overtaxed, then they vote to increase their taxes. This is why so many of us see no hope for Illinois. The public doesn’t comprehend cause and effect.