The Four County ADAMhs Board began the process of placing a seven-tenths mill renewal levy on the November ballot at its Thursday (May 14) meeting when it approved a resolution asking the Defiance County auditor to certify the amount of revenue that the millage would generate.
The property tax was first approved by voters of Defiance, Fulton, Henry and Williams counties in 1982 and has been renewed every five years since then. It currently generates about $1.8 million a year or roughly 20 percent of the revenue that the board uses to fund a variety of behavioral health services on a sliding fee basis.
Once the board receives the requested information, it can then vote to place the renewal on the ballot.
In other action, the board approved contracts totaling $2,365,442 for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026.
OhioGuidestone was awarded two contracts. The primary contract for mental health services, including outpatient, substance use, crisis care and prevention services totals $1,410,396. The agency will also receive a grant totaling $372,046 to coordinate adult mobile crisis response teams.
Other contracts include:
- $140,000 to support specialty court dockets with $35,000 allocated to each of the following dockets: Williams County common pleas drug court, Fulton County common pleas drug court, Henry County juvenile court specialty docket, and Williams County juvenile court specialty docket.
- $110,000 to support the shared costs (with county juvenile courts, jobs and family service and others) for placement of multi-needs adolescents and young adults.
- $90,000 to support area drug-free coalitions, specifically $15,000 for the Swanton Area Community Coalition and $25,000 each for the Defiance, Fulton and Williams county drug-free coalitions.
- $80,000 for the Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center to support school navigator services at the Independence Education Center. The navigator works with school staff, students and their families to provide case management and maintains partnerships with service agencies in the four county area to provide referrals.
- $55,000 to support the Guardianship Service Board in Defiance, Fulton and Williams counties.
- $30,000 with the Wood County Children’s Resource Center to provide youth crisis stabilization services for four county youth.
- $25,000 for Northwest Ohio Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
- $25,000 for Defiance County Victims Assistance/SARAH’s House.
- $20,000 for the Multi-Area Narcotics Unit (MAN Unit) to help fund its substance abuse/mental health liaison position.
- $5,000 for Together We Can Make a Difference, located in Napoleon, to provide toiletry items for low income individuals, particularly those with severe and persistent mental illness.
- Up to $3,000 for Amanda Waldfogel to serve as the board’s consumer advocate and support group leader.
Board CEO Tonie Long reported that last month board staff conducted a tabletop training in partnership with the Fulton County EMA, first responders and leaders from behavioral health agencies to show how the ADAMhs Board’s behavioral health disaster plan would be implemented during a large scale disaster involving numerous first responders.
Billie Jo (BJ) Horner, the board’s community services manager, explained how the board is working with the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) to implement Operation New Beginnings.
She said the OSHP was concerned that 57 percent of the fatal crashes that they investigate involve impaired drivers. Further, almost four of every ten persons arrested for impaired driving have had a previous offense.
Operation New Beginnings is designed to help persons arrested for OVI get referrals for treatment services by having board funded treatment agencies contact those arrested by phone or mail. Since January, the board has partnered with Operation New Beginnings. Of those contacted, only 14 percent have declined to seek referral help.
— Press release