Patience may be a virtue, but it sure can be difficult. A review of Douglas County’s proposed 2018 budget — which calls for a significant property tax increase — raises the question of whether Douglas County commissioners are falling victim to impatience.

County commissioners have tentatively agreed to raise the property tax rate by 1.91 mills, which will add about $38 a year in taxes to a $175,000 home. By itself, not a tremendous amount, but noteworthy in a community that says it is concerned about affordable housing, and particularly noteworthy given that the school district and the city also are proposing property tax increases. As it stands now, Lawrence residents are facing their largest property tax increase in recent memory.

A good portion of the county’s proposed increase is to fund about $2 million worth of new mental health services. This is laudable. The county really isn’t designed to be in the business of mental health care, but it is taking on the responsibility because mismanagement at the state level has created the need.

It is fair to question, though, whether the county is trying to do too much at once. Commissioner Michelle Derusseau has raised this question. She unsuccessfully lobbied cutting $397,000 to fund a multi-agency response team to serve those recovering from a mental illness, and a $150,000 program designed to make it easier for Douglas County residents suffering from drug or alcohol abuse to get detoxification services.

Her fellow commissioners, Mike Gaughan and Nancy Thellman, wouldn’t side with her. They want to fund those programs, plus others that include $400,000 to help Lawrence Memorial Hospital build a behavioral health crisis stabilization unit and $900,000 to hire four psychiatrists who will work for Heartland Community Health and Bert Nash Community Mental Health.

Gaughan said he is confident the emphasis on mental health services reflects the values of the community. He may be correct. A good number of residents are concerned too many people with mental health conditions are falling through the cracks or ending up in jail.

But Gaughan also should remember that the greater amount the county spends on this issue, the greater the expectations from the public. The danger to the county is that it bites off more than it can chew. The county’s new director of behavioral health projects has been on the job less than a month. It is the first time he has ever held such a position. These are a lot of programs and projects to get off the ground at once. If the efforts falter, it may reduce support for future funding the county may seek.

The county should include funding for increased mental health services in its 2018 budget. Derusseau’s compromise, however, seems reasonable. Fund the psychiatrists and help fund the LMH center. The county will learn much from those two significant projects, and will be in a better position to implement additional programs in the future.

It is understandable, though, that commissioners are tempted to try to accomplish as much as they can as fast as they can, especially given that better mental health care could ease human suffering. But there is a reason patience is a virtue. Those who leave the starting gates too fast rarely win the race.