Come speak up for mental health care on November first

Submitted to Shelton Blog by Tom Davis

Now there is a way
 that you can help

On Tues., Nov. 1 at 9:30 AM, Mason County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on whether to enact a 1/10 of 1% tax increase for sales and services, the proceeds of which will be used to fund mental health, substance abuse and therapeutic court issues.

Few people will argue against the need for alternatives to the incarceration of people with mental health issues, though some will object to any new tax for any reason, no matter how worthy the cause.

Having spent the past three months serving on the committee that is recommending alternatives to “revolving door” incarceration of those struggling with mental health issues, I am confident that a new approach to an old problem will reap great rewards for our community. It is well documented that every $1 invested in prevention saves our community $18 in services that are not working. Additionally, it does our business community no good to have the same people loitering and soliciting near their place of business, driving away potential customers.

It is important to keep the scale of the proposed increase in perspective: a hundred dollar purchase will add only an additional dime to the tab; if you spend $20,000 on purchases in Mason County in a year you will pay an additional $20 in sales tax. If you shop in Thurston, Lewis, Jefferson or any of the 17 counties that have already adopted the tax, you are contributing to the success of their mental health services, not ours.

Please attend the public hearing on Nov. 1 and tell our County Commissioners you want local money to fund local programs that benefit local families and businesses.  

When it comes to “revolving door” incarceration, we know what does not work, now let’s do something that will. A 1/10 of 1% increase is a small price to pay for a giant step in the right direction.  


Hope to see you on Nov. 1,
Tom Davis