As of Tuesday 8:45 pm, Tax Levy 7 passed with 3,261 votes and 60.83%, providing increased funding benefiting senior citizens’ facilities. Jill Davidson, the county auditor, estimates the levy will collect just over $300,000 annually for five years.
Executive Director at United Seniors of Athens County, Inc. Joyce Lewis said the levy is primarily for nutrition within senior programs in Athens County.
“This particular one is a new levy that is for nutrition purposes,” Lewis said. “It’s to help with the home-delivered meals and congregate meals.”
Lewis said there are around 60 people on the waiting list for home-delivered meals and possibly more who are in need and may not be on the waiting list.
“This would allow them to expand the services to provide for those people to be able to get home-delivered meals,” Lewis said.
The home-delivered meals are for homebound people or those returning from the hospital without caregivers to help prepare meals for them.
Another service benefitting from this nutritional aid is congregate meals, Lewis said. These meals are spaces where seniors can come together and eat rather than having meals delivered.
“That’s where the seniors can group together and have a meal that gives them both the nutritional meal and also reduced social isolation,” Lewis said.
But those unable to come in person or get on the list for home-delivered meals have to add their names to a waitlist to utilize these resources.
“A lot of times if you call and you ask and they say, ‘There’s a waiting list,’ the person just stops trying,” Lewis said. “But if they know that there’s more funding available and that they might be able to get on (the waitlist).”
The passed levy increases funding in nutritional programs for senior facilities and services and will have the added aid to help more in Athens County demonstrating need.
“We’re talking the vulnerable, the frail, the people that are low income and unable to make their own nutritious meals … this is just a boost to what they can get,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the levy passing will continue to support the Athens County seniors.
