After many months of hard work, the “Vote Yes” developmental disabilities campaign was successful in earning 65 percent of the votes last Tuesday.

A referendum passed for a county tax that will fund various programs to benefit people with developmental disabilities.

“We were really pleased,” said Dale Morrisey, director of the Developmental Services Center (DSC). “Several hundred people will be helped by the passing of the disability tax.”

These programs include the Parent Resource Organization for the Understanding of Developmental Disabilities and Delays (PROUDD), the Down Syndrome Network, Champaign County Advocacy and Mentoring Resource (CCAMR), DSC, Project 18, Family Services of Champaign County and the CU Autism Network. A developmental disability is a severe and chronic condition such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism or mental retardation. Developmental disabilities affect about one in every 100 people, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. Morrissey said some people have more than one of these conditions.

The additional tax money will be dispensed through a developmental disabilities board, which will divide the annual tax funds – estimated to total around $2.36 million – among the programs. Patricia Avery, chair of the Champaign County Board, will interview candidates and choose three members among 13 applicants for positions on the developmental disabilities board, Morrisey said.

Holley Jordan, chair of the steering committee, said the large margin of support for the tax showed their message had gotten across to voters. Complete elections results are expected to be certified by Nov. 16 after provisional ballots have been counted.

She said the newly appointed board members must form a budget as soon as possible for tax collection in June 2005. The need for government aid among disabled people in Champaign County is estimated to be anywhere $3.5 to $7 million. Jordan said the tax is “critical … to a lot of families.”

“They will do needs assessment to decide how to portion the money,” Jordan said. “We are interested to get this going as soon as it can.”

Jordan said there was no organized opposition to the tax.

“It was difficult to find someone to speak on the other side,” Jordan said.

About 60 supporters showed up at a county board meeting after the election “to show them (board members) what a good job they did,” Jordan said.

Many people expressed concern that the creation of the board would not only cause an immediate tax increase, but the board might also request more money in the future. But Morrissey said the disability board cannot raise the tax rate once it has passed because of a specific Illinois statute for developmental disabilities.

“The rate can’t go up,” Jordan said, adding that the money cannot be used for any other purpose other than to support the board.

The tax rate is limited to 0.1 percent, or 10 cents, according to the steering committee. The total tax for the owner of a $120,000 home is $36.50 annually.

While Jordan is pleased the tax was passed, she said the estimated tax revenue will not meet the area’s needs completely.

“But we’ll make a good start,” Jordan said.