DARIEN, IL – Voters in Downers Grove Township will be asked in the November election to decide on a property tax increase to help pay for mental health services.
The tax would cost the owner of a $400,000 house $67 a year, according to the township.
In a resolution this week, the township board said a growing gap exists between available resources and the service needs for mental health, substance abuse and intellectual disabilities.
The November referendum would mean the township's creation of a mental health board.
The township includes all or parts of Darien, Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Burr Ridge and Downers Grove, among other towns.
Tax supporters have already created a website, called "Advocate for 708." The number refers to the House bill number that allowed townships to assess taxes for mental health services.
According to the website, Downers Grove Township is alone among DuPage County's nine townships without a mental health board.
The supporters say the tax money can be distributed through small, yearly grants to agencies that provide mental and substance abuse services.
Under state law, the township cannot use its resources to try to sway voters one way or the other about the tax. But it can provide information about it.
Townships are far smaller than government entities such as school districts and municipalities. They generally get less public and media scrutiny.
Under state law, townships have three mandated jobs – maintenance of roads in unincorporated areas, assessment of property values and distribution of "general assistance" to the poor in limited circumstances.
Many suburban townships also choose to offer a variety of social services.
Most states don't have townships.
In the 2024 election, Democrats won offices in historically Republican DuPage County townships. That included Downers Grove Township, which Democrats now control.
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