By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
The Senior Nutrition Program in the Six-County Area
Agency on Aging budget is falling more and more behind in
keeping up with higher costs of operation.
The solution? More money.
The county's problem? There is already not enough money
to go around.
Commissioners agreed to place the extra $4,813 requested
in the preliminary budget.
"I don't know where all the money we are being asked to
add to this budget is supposed to come from," said Wm. Boyd
Howarth, commission chair.
Juab County is assessed for the program, as are all the
six counties&emdash;Sevier, Sanpete, Millard, Juab, Wayne,
and Piute. The county has 11.72 percent of the population
served by AOG in the Six County area.
Juab also receives 7 percent of the federal and state
funds appropriated for the Six County area.
In 2000, there were 11,530 meals served in Juab County
and two people are on the current waiting list to receive
meals.
Judy Christensen and Leone Harward met with Juab County
Commissioners on Monday to explain problems the AOG (Agency
on Aging) budgeting committee faces for the year 2001. The
overall problem is continuing to supply at-home meals for
the elderly population who can no longer prepare meals for
themselves.
"The Senior Nutrition Program is projecting a $150,000
deficit this fiscal year (FY-01)," said Christensen. "The
once substantial fund balance has been used up in keeping up
with higher costs of operation, standardizing all nutrition
programs and reaching some unserved areas with
home-delivered meals."
"We are short approximately $1.11 per meal throughout the
Six County area."
Just to sustain the meals at the current costs, it will
take $12,798.30 for the program in Juab County.
The AOG board (which consists of members representing
each county) will consider the increase being requested for
each county at their first meeting in January 2001. That
means the commission will need to consider the extra cost to
the county prior to that date.
"We will look at that increase as we consider the budget
for the coming year," Howarth said. "The budget must be
ready and adopted before the end of December 2000."
Christensen said the average cost per meal is $4.50 and
the average donation per meal is $1.32.
"We are requesting that the suggested donation rate be
raised by 25 cents per meal. This has a down side in that it
penalizes the low income individual."
Juab County supplements the program above and beyond the
budget demands of the Six County. Eureka is an unserved area
and the program there is subsided by the county.
"For the meals served in Eureka, there is a $2.50 charge
per meal," said Joseph Bernini, commissioner.
"No one thing is going to fix this," said Harward. A
suggestion was being made to allocate funds for counties by
a specific funding formula and then make cuts
accordingly.
Costs had risen because the expense of delivering meals
increased because of the distance traveled and the rise in
fuel costs, the increase in overall raw food costs and the
increase in costs for supplies.
One idea for a possible solution to the budget problem
would be to establish central kitchens. However, the initial
equipment costs would be substantial. Some centers would
need to be closed and other consolidated.
Another solution would be to reduce all programs to three
days per week. If that is done, she said, the cut in meals
will also reduce the USDA revenue source.
"It is mandated that home-delivered meals be served five
days per week in some manner," Christensen said.
One large problem AOG budgeting will face in 2001, she
said, is the non-competitive wages being paid. The
Six-County program has a 50 percent turnover in staff.
Starting wages for cooks and meal delivery drivers is $6
per hour with administrators being paid a starting wage of
$7.50 per hour.
"It is also increasingly difficult to hire cooks who can
cook at these low wages," Said Christensen. Just to compare,
she said, the starting wage for cooks in the Tooele program
is $7 per hour.
The budget must also include retirement benefits which,
in all likelihood, will never benefit the part-time
employees working in the program.
"All positions are part-time from five hours to 28 hours
per week," she said. "Two positions receive 30 and 35 hours
per week with insurance benefits."
The administrative program manager is paid 50 percent and
the program assistance is paid 35 percent from nutrition
funds.
"The required registered dietitian has been donating
service for 23 years but is now retiring," Christensen
said.
If the counties fund the deficit, it will cost them
$154,000. If some other of the alternatives are used, it
will raise the needed money for the coming year.
For example, reducing all hot meals by one day per week
would save the program $158,312.50, she said.
Other options would be to close individual programs, such
as the one in Scipio, because there are not priority home
delivered meals at that location. That would represent a
savings of $14,000.
If hot meals in Piute were reduced one day it would save
$11,000, in Wayne the same reduction would save $8,000, and
if each county increased their contribution by the suggested
amount wit would bring in $13,477.
Increasing the suggested donation rate per meal from
$1.75 to $2.25 would bring in $73,000 and adjusting the menu
pattern could save as much as $8,800.
The total of the other options would add up to a
$150,037.
Other considerations might be to restrict the number of
miles allowed for a meal delivery and restricting meals to
high risk participants only. At present moderate to high
risk participants are served.
As for seeking an increase from state funds, Christensen
and Harward cannot do that. "By contract, we cannot lobby.
We can advocate, but not lobby."
Howarth said he would be happy to talk to our area's
state representatives and request that the program have a
higher rate of funding.
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