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  • From left, Mary and Cecil Bowman, of South Boardman, and Larry Swaney, of Fife Lake, talk to friends at a luncheon hosted by the Fife Lake Senior Center. Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump

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July 24, 2010

Support lines up for Commission on Aging

BY LINDSAY VANHULLE lvanhulle@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — She lives alone, so Betty Huff received a cell phone from the Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging in case she quickly needs to dial 911.

Huff, of Fife Lake, has a medical condition that gives her trouble walking. The commission also supplied her with an emergency response system that connects her to a dispatcher by pressing a button.

She also has help maintaining her lawn.

She didn't have to think long about whether to support the commission's request for a millage renewal. She checked "yes" on her absentee ballot.

"Every time you vote for a millage, it increases taxes," Huff said. "For me, it was worth it."

Voters will be asked Aug. 3 to approve a six-year, 0.5-mill proposal to operate the county's Commission on Aging. The proposal renews the 0.5 mill last approved in 2004 and since rolled back to 0.4858 mills.

If approved, property owners should see it on their December tax bills starting next year.

The costs to restore the millage to 0.5 mill "can't be that much," said Pat Parsons, of Traverse City, who supports it.

The number of clients served has increased steadily since 2006, said Georgia Durga, the commission's director.

It receives no county, state or federal dollars. The county millage constitutes about 90 percent of its funding.

The rest comes from donations and fees, the latter of which are based on a client's ability to pay and comprise a fraction of its revenue.

The commission employs 41 people, she said, with the majority of them working outside of the office.

Services include house cleaning, home health care, yard maintenance and snow removal. The commission gives seniors phones or devices to call 911, and loans mobility aids such as walkers or wheelchairs.

Requests for service have increased for several years. Last year, the commission received 26,129 contacts or calls for help, up from 13,264 in 2006.

Seniors have to be at least 60 years old and live in Grand Traverse County to be considered for assistance. The average client age is 80.

Bonnie Barnes, of Fife Lake, has received lawn service for at least four years. Someone stops by every other week.

She lives alone and said she would support the millage.

"It's a good program," Barnes said. "It's pretty hard when you're just one person to take care of everything."

Some voters said they were concerned about millage requests during an economic recession.

Durga understands the hesitation.

But, she said, without that revenue the commission could face closure.

She said she likely would put the proposal before voters in November if it fails next month.

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