Senior levy committee looks to expand services

Wants to put replacement levy on ballot to generate more funds

WARREN -- The Trumbull County Senior Levy committee is expected to ask Trumbull County commissioners to allow it to use a portion of its nearly $2.5 million carryover to double the amount being used to provide health care assistance to elderly residents and to increase the amount available for senior meals.

There are about 400 seniors on a waiting list for homemaker services and another 70 seniors on a waiting list to receive meal assistance, according to Diane Siskowic-Jurkovic, administrator of the senior levy. She told commissioners Denny Malloy and Mauro Cantalamessa during the commissioners weekly workshop on Tuesday that her agency has the ability to serve about 50 people using the approximately $245,000 in funds it has available for the homemakers program. She would like to use an additional $250,000 from the senior levy carryover to double that number.

These home care services generally are used by low- to middle-income seniors that may require in-home health care assistance such as bathing, food preparation and cleaning, among other services. Siskowic-Jurkovic said the levy committee typically works to maintain a $1 million carryover, but because of COVID-19 and other circumstances, its carryover has more than doubled.

"During COVID, many seniors stayed in their homes and did not use our services," she said. "However, because the number of baby boomers entering retirement has been increasing, there are now more people using our services."

Siskowic-Jurkovic said the cost of providing home care services has increased from $12 per hour in 2005 to about $27 per hour today.

The carryover is expected to allow the senior levy to continue to provide these services for approximately 2.5 years.

In the meantime, Siskowic-Jurkovic said the senior levy committee is expected to recommend the commissioners put a 0.75-mill replacement levy on the November ballot. The replacement levy would maintain the current millage, but will bring in funds based on the current property valuation instead of the valuation it had when the senior levy was first established in 2005.

The senior levy has been voted on every five years. It has been renewed three times and no increase has been sought in its 19-year history.

It raises $26 per year for every $100,000 of a household's valuation, she said. A replacement levy is estimated to increase the amount collected by $10 per $100,000 household valuation.

"We now are serving twice the number of people," she said. "The number of seniors has increased and the number of baby boomers that are expected to retire will continue to grow through 2030."

She said the goal of the homecare program is to allow as many seniors to remain in their homes as possible.

"To place one person into a skilled nursing facility costs the county $96,000 a year," Siskowic-Jurkovic said. "Multiply that by 5,000 people, it would be $480 million. Our $1.2 million per year ask is a lot cheaper than putting residents into nursing homes or adult daycares."

If placed on this November's ballot, the county will have three chances to pass it before running out of money. If a replacement levy does not pass, the county will have to cut services.

Malloy stated actions at the state level have affected home values going up, so property owners already are paying more in property taxes.

"Now we want to make them pay more for seniors on top of it,: he said. "We have been saying the state needs to reevaluate because property taxes are too high. People are challenging it and blaming us for (increasing) it."

If commissioners place a tax increase on the ballot, Malloy expects residents to place blame on them for the increased amount they will have to pay.

"It doesn't sit too well," Malloy said.

While not advocating for or against the proposed tax, Trumbull County Auditor Martha Yoder emphasized the commissioners will not be enacting a tax increase. The commissioners simply will be placing the renewal on the ballot.

Cantalamessa said commissioners talk to their constituents nearly every day about how much they are paying on their taxes.

"There are people out there living paycheck to paycheck," Cantalamessa said. "An increase would be devastating to them. At the same time, a good community is judged by how it treats its seniors and its children."

Yoder said this is an issue that will affect nearly every Trumbull voter.

"Whether they are receiving services themselves, every single person in the Valley knows someone who is elderly," she said.