Boulder County commissioner outlines proposed 0.15% sales tax for mental‑health services, Longmont council asks for distribution details

Boulder County Commissioner Claire Levy told Longmont City Council on Tuesday that the county plans to ask voters in November to approve a 0.15% sales‑tax increase to fund behavioral‑health services and substance‑use programs countywide. Levy said the measure, Ballot Issue 1b, is projected to raise about $13.8 million in its first year.

Levy described five spending priorities for the funds: navigation services to help people find care, mobile crisis and walk‑in crisis response, prevention (especially school‑based services), treatment, and recovery supports. She said the bulk of the funds—more than $11 million annually under the proposal—would be distributed to community‑based nonprofit providers via directed and competitive grants; certain navigation and crisis functions would continue to be provided by county staff.

“Projections are that it will raise $13,800,000 in the first year,” Commissioner Levy told council. She said the county’s navigation staff are bilingual and that current navigation and…