Seneca County Commission on Aging is seeking renewal of a 0.3-mill levy for five years. Revenue from the levy would help maintain services for senior citizens and facilities for the commission on aging.
The local Commission On Aging serves county residents age 60 and older, as it has for more than 35 years.
As a private, nonprofit organization, the Commission on Aging survives on the levy plus donations and grants. The levy costs the average homeowner about $7 per year - not a noticeable amount, individually.
But to the senior citizens in Seneca County, it can mean a lot. That's because the commission on aging uses that funding - about $248,000 annually - to leverage grants from foundations and other benefactors.
The agency uses that money to provide seniors with meals, transportation, light housekeeping, and home maintenance and repairs. The goal is to help seniors live independently in their own homes for as long as possible while remaining active in our community.
That should be important to those who haven't yet reached "senior' status, because Americans are living longer. Since the county agency began, average life expectancy in the United States has increased more than a year and a half - including an increase of nearly a year since the agency began collecting the levy.
When more of those years are spent living independently, it is better for the individual and society.
Keep the Seneca County Commission on Aging on a dependable foundation. Vote for the 0.3-mill renewal levy on the Nov. 6 ballot.
