Senior programs nervous after bond failure
OATS, Meals on Wheels will seek more funding
Although the ballot measure wouldn't automatically have provided funds for services such as the Warren County Senior Center and OATS, those services could have requested funding to their meal or transportation programs.
"We've definitely felt it with this economy," said Debbie Richter, director of the Warren County Senior Center.John Meier, vice president of the senior center board, said seniors on a fixed income are feeling the impact of rising costs -- the same costs that are pinching nonprofit agencies providing senior services. In turn, their support for the center has been affected.
"Our donations are definitely down," Meier said.
"Everything in this economy is impacting us - food costs, fuel costs," Richter said. "We have more people who are in need, and they can't afford it financially,"
Wanda Thomas, who served on a committee said they haven't given up on the ballot measure. The Aug. 5 tax levy failed by about 610 votes. Thomas said that if a little more than 300 people switch their votes, they can pass the issue.
Supporters are trying to decide when to re-introduce the measure on the ballot, she said.
"The tax levy would have provided for more than just the senior center or OATS," Thomas said. It also could have paid part of the cost for seniors who needed home repairs or a house cleaning service, she said.
"A lot of people are willing to pay for that, but a lot of people can't pay for those services," she said. "These are the people who built Warren County. They should have the option to stay in their home if they can."
She said it makes sense to help seniors live in their homes longer.
"Those kinds of services help people stay in their homes longer," Thomas said. "The longer they stay in their homes, the more tax revenue they generate."
Richter said that in October, the senior center's board plans to ask the Warren County Commission for funding for the Meals on Wheels program it provides to county residents. Currently, the city of Warrenton provides $1.50 per meal to the senior center for its residents, and the city of Wright City gives $1 per meal for its residents.
The county's portion would not include Warrenton or Wright City residents. Thomas said the total cost last year would have amounted to about $30,000.
The commission turned down a $1.75-per-meal request in its 2008 budget.
"That's what led us to try for the tax levy," Richter said.
The city of Warrenton has a cap on the total cost of meals, so it gives up to that maximum amount if they serve more meals than expected.
"Delivering meals to people out in the county is more expensive," Richter said.
They can't reach some seniors in southern Warren County because it gets too expensive to deliver the meals on a regular basis.
There will be two new commissioners when the next budget is considered, Thomas noted. That gives her some hope that the county will offer to pay.
But budgets haven't shrunk just for seniors. They are tighter for municipal governments, too.
Bob and Christina Hoormann were just leaving the senior center after a meal there when they stopped to talk about the center's funding. They said that the center makes do with volunteers and grants.
"I don't think anybody knows how much further we can make things stretch," Christina Hoorman said.
