Downers Grove Township residents will decide Nov. 3 whether to create a mental health board funded by a new property tax of up to $66 a year on a $400,000 home.

The referendum asks voters to approve an annual levy capped at 0.05% of property value to establish a 708 Mental Health Board, according to the DuPage County ballot proposition listing. The board would fund services for people with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders or substance use disorders.

Downers Grove Township is the only township in DuPage County without a 708 board, despite being the county's largest by population and size, according to Debbie Hare, a spokesperson for the 708 for Downers Grove Township team. More than 90 such boards operate across Illinois, Hare said.

"These mental health boards have been in existence for 50 years. This is not new, this is new to us," Hare told Shaw Local.

No organized opposition to the measure has surfaced in public records or coverage as of publication.

What it would cost

The ballot language sets the maximum levy at 0.05%. The official ballot document estimates the additional tax on a $100,000 home at $16.67 per year. Shaw Local reported that a $400,000 home would pay about $66 annually.

Corin Hammond, chairwoman of the Downers Grove Township Mental Health Advisory Committee, said many neighboring townships with 708 boards do not levy the full amount allowed. Historically, those levies run closer to 0.025%, she said.

How neighboring boards spend the money

Lisle Township's mental health board awarded more than $1 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year to local agencies, including more than $125,000 to the DuPage County Health Department, $99,000 to Trinity Services and $85,000 to Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley, according to that township.

Milton Township's board provided more than $1.3 million to about 25 nonprofits in fiscal year 2026. Recipients included $100,000 to Easterseals of DuPage & Fox Valley and $93,150 to the Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center, according to Milton Township.

Lisle Township includes portions of Downers Grove and Woodridge. Milton Township includes a portion of Downers Grove.

How the board would work

If voters approve the measure, the Downers Grove Township supervisor and township board would appoint a seven- to nine-member volunteer board selected for "learned and lived experience," Hare said.

The board would first conduct a needs assessment. Local organizations already providing mental health services in the township could then apply for funding, Hare said.

Hare said the board would complement the existing DuPage County Crisis Recovery Center rather than duplicate it. Crisis centers handle acute emergencies, she said, while a 708 board would focus on prevention, ongoing treatment and post-crisis recovery.

Polls open Tuesday, Nov. 3.