WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Board will decide later this month whether to put a tax increase referendum on the April ballot to help residents with developmental disabilities.

Social service agencies for years have wanted to put the referendum to voters. Accompanied by people with developmental disabilities and their families, they formally asked the Public Health and Human Services Committee at its Friday meeting to do so.

If approved, the referendum would create a new tax levy and a “377 Board” to disburse it to agencies working with the developmentally disabled. The setup would be similar to that of the McHenry County ­Mental Health Board, which collects a levy to parcel out to agencies that address mental health issues.