Sedgwick County rejects funding increase for senior centers

Despite the presence of dozens of seniors and senior advocates at a Sedgwick County Commission meeting last Wednesday, Aug. 15, the body rejected a request to boost funding for senior centers by $78,000 for 2019.
The vote was 3-2, with Michael O’Donnell and Jim Howell in favor of increasing funding, and David Dennis, Richard Ranzau and David Unruh opposed.
Had the vote gone the other way, the county’s overall senior center funding would have risen from $620,000 to $698,000. The Haysville Senior Center would have received $22,000 in additional funding, while the Clearwater Senior and Community Center would have received an additional $17,000.
The directors of both those centers said they were disappointed in the county’s decision. Both have been requesting funding boosts for at least the past four years.
Clearwater senior center director Kristi Rey said that her center could have used the additional funding to offer better programming and entertainment, making the center more attractive for the people aged 55 and older who are eligible for a $5 annual membership.
“Though we’re on a limited budget, you want to try and provide as much as possible with little to no cost on their end,” Rey said. “It’s tough, on the budget we have. It’s depressing, it’s upsetting, because we could use that money.”