Whether Knox County will have a mental health authority has yet to be decided.
County board members would need to approve next week putting the issue on April 2017 ballots, and then voters would decide.
But in order to come into compliance with the Community Mental Health Act there are starting the process of creating a volunteer seven-member committee.
It also may serve as a way for those leading the campaign to make citizens aware of the mental health needs of Knox County.
Committee chairman Greg “Chops ” Bacon says this referendum would be a little different than some in the past.
“That’s what you need to go to the people for,” Bacon said to the committee. “It needs assessment to tell them ‘OK I need $1 million to do this, this, this and this. I don’t think anybody at this table has the background in mental health to say what we need.”
Mark Rudolph, CEO of KCCDD and leader of the campaign for a mental health board will now gather a list of interested individuals to serve on the committee.
He will present the list of people he recommends for board approval in October.
Rudolph says it will be made up of people with expertise in mental health and developmental disabilities.
Currently, Knox is one of 26 of 102 total Illinois counties without a mental health authority.
