Sedgwick County senior citizens were out in force Thursday night to demand more money for senior centers that they say help them stay in their homes and stay alive.
Dozens came to the County Commission podium to tell their stories — three minutes at a time — of how senior centers have benefited them and to ask the commissioners to increase their support.
The occasion was the county government’s annual evening budget hearing. More than 60 seniors packed the commission chamber to standing room only and another 20 filled an overflow room watching on video.
The current county budget plan is to keep senior center funding level flat for 2019, said spokeswoman Kate Flavin. How much each center gets depends on tiers, based on the number of people served and services provided.
Several centers are hoping to move up in the tier structure this year, which would increase their budgets, Flavin said.
Commissioner Jim Howell, whose south-county district includes a high percentage of low-income seniors, has been pushing for more than a year for more money for the centers.
A parade of seniors came to the podium to testify on how the centers have helped them.
(Read more: Politics & Government News)