Senior Centers, Service Providers Await Contract Decisions as Genesee Commissioners Consider Options

Delay in Adopting Senior Service Contracts Sparks Debate

Members of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners have decided to delay adopting new contracts with local senior citizen centers and service providers. This decision comes as officials seek to better understand how to allocate countywide millage funds. During a committee meeting on Wednesday, August 13, commissioners postponed action on nearly three dozen agreements with organizations that serve seniors.

The move followed concerns raised by the president of the Senior Directors Association of Genesee County. He warned that funding for senior centers has remained stagnant and suggested that a new formula might be necessary due to a “significant funding disparity” between the centers and direct service providers.

The county uses nearly $9 million generated by a 0.68-mill property tax to fund 16 local senior centers and various services, including elder abuse prevention, home-delivered meals, snow removal, and respite care. County board Chair Delrico Loyd emphasized the need for a discussion on the best way to distribute these funds without creating conflict between the centers, which receive 32% of the funds, and the service providers, which get 58%.

Loyd stated, “It’s not about pitting centers against vendors. I think that’s just not helpful — not productive.” The demographic shift in the county has also contributed to the urgency of this issue. The percentage of residents aged 65 or older has risen from 7% in 1970 to 18% in 2023. This trend is not unique to Genesee County, as the statewide senior population has grown from approximately 750,000 in 1970 to 1.9 million in 2023. More than half of Michigan counties now have more senior citizens than children.

Currently, $2.8 million in millage funds supports senior centers, while $5.1 million is allocated for contracts with direct service providers. Greg Matheson, director of the Flushing Area Senior Center and president of the Senior Directors Association of Genesee County, noted that senior centers received no millage increases from 2008 to 2021 before seeing increases of 15% and 5% in the last two fiscal years. However, he pointed out that the total 21% increase over the past 17 years has not kept up with inflation.

In contrast, service providers are proposed to receive an $889,472 funding increase in the upcoming fiscal year, which starts on October 1. Several service providers at the meeting emphasized their efficiency in meeting the needs of the community. Brooke Gow, executive director of the Family Service Agency of Mid Michigan, highlighted her organization's work in improving the quality of life for seniors through programs such as senior companionship and foster grandparent initiatives.

“We enter the homes of seniors to help with daily tasks, allowing them to age in place safely and avoid institutionalization,” Gow said. “They see us not only as service providers but as their family.”

Commissioner Martin Cousineau, who chairs the county’s Finance Committee, expressed surprise at the discussion during the meeting, as it had not been raised during budget discussions. While the new fiscal year begins in roughly six weeks, leaving little time for major changes, Cousineau believes there is still time to consider adjustments.

“We’ve been remiss in getting into the details of where millage dollars are going,” he said. “We still have time before the budget is fully adopted.”

Senior Services Director Lynn M. Radzilowski mentioned that her office aims to have new agreements in place before the new fiscal year begins. Radzilowski’s office oversees the distribution of the senior services tax, which was recently renewed for 10 years by more than a two-to-one margin in August. Voters had also approved the same millage in 2014, and the tax was initially established in 2006.

Each year, more than 21,000 county residents aged 60 or older receive one or more services funded by the senior millage. As the county continues to grapple with the challenges of an aging population, the debate over funding allocation remains a critical issue for local leaders.