The Elgin Township Board approved a $1.4 million levy Tuesday on behalf of its 708 Mental Health Board but the amount could end up being three times that number under legislation awaiting the governor’s signature.

Board members debated the levy amount this week after the 708 board requested levying .05% rather than the maximum .15% allowed under the referendum approved by voters in 2020.

Not seeking the total amount allowed angered some mental health advocates, who argued the financial request was not enough to meet the dire need for mental health, substance addiction and developmental disability services in the community.

Because of a bill sponsored by Sens. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, and Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, the board may have not choice but to request the maximum amount.

Senate Bill 0690, sent to the governor’s desk Tuesday, clears up the ambiguous language in the Community Mental Health Act, the Property Tax Code and other statutes that have caused confusion in the wording for referendums establishing 708 Mental Health Boards, Castro said.

The bill grandfathers in referendums in Elgin and Dundee townships and elsewhere and requires township officials to levy the full amount approved by voters. Castro said the governor has been notified about the importance of the legislation and is expected to sign the bill quickly.

Castro opposed the Elgin Township 708 board’s plan to levy less than the maximum amount, calling the decision “undemocratic,” she said.

“What kind of power do (the township and 708 board members) think they have to go against the will of voters?” Castro said.

Township officials will need to change the levy amount once the bill is signed, or they will be breaking the law, she said.

Elgin Township Supervisor Ken Bruderle and other township officials were not aware of the bill at the time they approved the lower levy.

During discussions this week, chairman of the 708 Mental Health Board Andrew Sosnowski said board members were united in recommending .05% because they wanted to take things “slowly and steadily and (look) at the needs.”

There’s “no magic formula” to determine how much is needed to address the problems, he said.

Bruderle said officials thought the 708 board could increase and decrease the levy amount annually as needed.

During the levy discussions, the Township Board heard from speakers urging officials to levy the full amount voters approved and detailed the problems of accessing mental health services.

“Mental health services are an issue near and dear to my heart,” Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein of Congregation Kneseth Israel said. About 60% of her job now involves finding mental health solutions of some sort, she said.

“During the pandemic, everyone saw a sharp uptick in mental health needs. We know substance abuse, divorce, domestic abuse, and suicide have risen by 40%, and it has not subsided,” Klein said.

But there’s a six-month wait period for some people to get services, she said. Every conversation she has with elected officials “begins and ends with a plea for more mental health services,” Klein said. “We continually need more funding, not less.”

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.