To the editor:

Please vote yes for mental health and recovery. Go to page four of the ballot where issue No. 34 is the last, but an important issue for the residents of Jefferson County. This 0.5-mill replacement mental health levy amounts to $18 per year for each $100,00 of property value.

It funds:

• Prevention services in Jefferson County schools to help children learn how to effectively deal with life’s difficult problems.

• Mental health services, including timely assessments and treatments.

• Rehabilitative treatments for incarcerated individuals in the Jefferson County Jail in order to prevent future crime when they are released. Less crime makes our streets safer and ultimately saves taxpayer money.

• Evidence-based practices, including rapid crisis response and recovery housing.

Please vote yes on Issue 34, the mental health levy. For less than five cents a day for the average property taxpayer, you will be investing in the mental health well-being of all of the citizens of Jefferson County.

Michele Bailie

Steubenville