BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Metro Council will allow voters to decide on a proposed property tax that would pay for a new mental health facility in the parish.

The proposal was approved by the metro council in an 8-3 vote Wednesday.

The center would take in offenders who may be in need of more specialized treatment. Officials like the East Baton Rouge Coroner and District Attorney have been pushing for the facility, saying it would help curtail jail overcrowding and keep those suffering from mental illnesses away from more violent inmates.

The tax would be 1.5 mills, or about $20 on the average residential property receiving homestead exemption.

A similar proposal failed when it was placed on the ballot for the 2016 election.

If approved by voters in December, the tax would be collected over the course of nine years beginning in 2019.