WARREN — The Trumbull County Senior Services Advisory Committee was asked by Commissioner Denny Malloy on Tuesday not to provide funding to proposed new senior centers so the committee can maintain the level of services being provided to the 11 existing senior centers around Trumbull County.

“All we were asking is for commissioners to keep the funding the same. It looks like they plan to do that, so we are satisfied. The senior services folks have money in reserves. Why aren’t they spending it? That is my question,” said Mike Wilson, executive director of Trumbull County SCOPE, which runs half of the county’s senior centers. “Spend the money on the other services. Why cut services if you have the money?”

Advocates for in-home care for seniors earlier this month suggested the commissioners consider a larger portion of senior levy funds be diverted to provide for those services because of a waiting list of 200 people needing in-home care.

Trumbull County Senior Levy Administrator Diane Siskowic-Jurkovic said they have $625,000 for all of the senior centers in Trumbull County. It was recommended that the senior services advisory council reject the senior centers’ bids when they came in and reduce the amount allocated to $500,000, so $125,000 could be used for homemaker and chore services.

Bob Woofter, a member of the council, suggested the levy funds a great deal more than the senior centers.

“We are trying to balance where the needs are and are trying to spread our limited amount of funds, so we can satisfy all of those needs,” he said.

Siskowic-Jurkovic described contracting $1.8 million for community in-home services per year — $750,000 for transportation and $625,000 for the senior centers.

Neighboring Ashtabula County has six senior centers and Mahoning County has one senior center in Austintown.

“We were looking to balance and reallocate our funds to those in the greatest need, such as those people who cannot get out of their homes. If we reduce the funding, the possibility of merging centers makes sense,” Siskowic-Jurkovic said.

Wilson said the Friday opening of Buckeye PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) could alleviate some of the burden off Trumbull County Senior Services and help shrink the waiting list Siskowic-Jurkovic mentioned. It had a ribbon cutting July 22 at its Warren location at 2154 Elm Road NE, which was a former Rite-Aid.

Representatives of Buckeye PACE also attended Tuesday’s meeting. The centers will provide daytime activities for seniors as well as medical care, transportation and social engagement.

It serves seniors who qualify to live in long-term care, but want to stay in their home and need wraparound services to be able to stay at home. It offers everything from primary care to the day center.

The possible reduction of senior centers would reduce the number of people on wait lists for in-home care.

“The wait list costs us $9,000 per person,” she said. “Multiply that by 50, that’s $450,000 per year. This is to maintain a sustainable budget.”

Commissioner Rick Hernandez suggested the funding being provided to senior centers should be maintained at the current level and not reduced. The senior services levy was renewed by voters in November and new money will flow into it next year.

“I believe that many of those that voted for the senior services levy did so because of their use of the senior centers,” he said. “Maybe two years down the road, we may have to look at additional options.”

Siskowic-Jurkovic said many of the senior centers have been experiencing an increasing number of people using their centers.

“We want to see increased participation,” she said. “That’s our goal for senior centers. We try to encourage that.”

Bernard suggested he would like the funding for the existing centers to continue.

“I understand that a senior that is used to going to a center and is used to being provided a service from that senior center, that’s going to be an emotional thing for them,” he said.

Malloy said commissioners are not required to provide funds for new senior centers.

“We are not fully funding all of the centers,” he said. “A township can open their own centers. They have to want it first.”

“We’re not saying we do not want senior centers,” Malloy said. “Every township can open one tomorrow if they want to. We can only fund so many of them. We don’t want to cut any senior centers.”

Malloy said the centers likely are safe for the next two years. However, at the end of the next two years, they may have to look at other options.