Glen Ellyn residents who live in Downers Grove Township will vote Tuesday, Nov. 3 on whether to create a 708 Mental Health Board, a tax-funded body that would channel money to local nonprofits serving people with mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance use disorders.

Downers Grove Township is the only township in DuPage County without such a board, despite being the county's largest by population and size, according to Shaw Local, which first reported on the referendum.

The ballot question asks voters to approve an annual property tax of up to 0.05%. On a home with a fair market value of $400,000, that would add about $66 a year, Shaw Local reported.

Corin Hammond, chairwoman of the Downers Grove Township Mental Health Advisory Committee, told Shaw Local that neighboring townships with 708 boards have historically levied closer to 0.025%, about half the maximum.

"These mental health boards have been in existence for 50 years. This is not new, this is new to us," said Debbie Hare, a spokesperson for the 708 for Downers Grove Township advocacy team.

More than 90 such boards operate across Illinois. They trace back to the Illinois Community Mental Health Act, which followed federal legislation signed in 1963.

What neighboring boards fund

The referendum's significance for Glen Ellyn shows in what the neighboring Milton Township 708 Board already does. Milton Township, which includes parts of Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Carol Stream and Glendale Heights, provided more than $1.3 million to about 25 nonprofits in fiscal year 2026, Shaw Local reported, citing township figures.

Among the recipients: the Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center received $93,150, and the Glen Ellyn Youth and Family Counseling Service received $72,500, according to Shaw Local's reporting.

Milton Township's fiscal year 2027 budget allocates $1.5 million for 708 board community service awards, according to township board packet documents.

Lisle Township's mental health board awarded more than $1 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year to agencies including the DuPage County Health Department, Trinity Services and Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley, Shaw Local reported.

How it would work

If voters approve the measure, the Downers Grove Township supervisor would appoint a seven- to nine-member volunteer board, Hare told Shaw Local. A community needs assessment would follow.

Local organizations already providing services would then apply for funding based on identified gaps, Hare said. The board would focus on prevention, ongoing treatment and post-crisis recovery rather than duplicating the DuPage County Crisis Recovery Center.

No organized opposition to the referendum appeared in available reporting as of publication. Shaw Local reported that some residents have questioned the need given the existing crisis center, but Hare said the two would complement each other.

The Daily Herald listed the Downers Grove Township 708 question among DuPage County ballot measures in a September roundup of tax-related referenda.

York Township voters approved a similar 708 board referendum by more than 65% in November 2024, according to the Lombardian. That board began accepting grant applications in July 2026.