Title
To endorse the Senior Services Levy on the Tuesday, May 2, 2017 ballot as Issue 1.
Body
WHEREAS, the residents of Franklin County will be considering a Senior Service Levy known as Issue 1 on Tuesday May 2nd 2017; and
WHEREAS this levy funds Franklin County Senior Options which provides services and programs designed to help the frail elderly remain safely at home; and
WHEREAS, these services include meals-on-wheels, transportation to the doctor and emergency response buttons; and
WHEREAS, passage of this levy will mean that over 10,000 seniors can be served in 2018 with a 3% increase each year of the levy cycle; and
WHEREAS, the costs for helping a senior maintain independent living is far smaller than the costs of institutional or nursing home care; and
WHEREAS, the growth of this small levy has not kept pace with the growth in the aging population or the growth in demand for services; and
WHEREAS, this small increase will support some moderate growth in the number of seniors that can be served during 2018 through 2022; and
WHEREAS, the current senior services levy will expire at the end of 2017 - the senior levy is the sole funding source for Senior Options; without the passage of this levy, Senior Options will shut down and access to valuable services will be lost for our community’s seniors; and
WHEREAS, a request has been made to put a 1.3 mill senior services levy renewal plus a .45 increase on the May 2017 ballot -this additional increase will only cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $15.75 per year, now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council hereby endorses the Franklin County Senior Services Levy and encourages all Franklin County voters to Vote FOR Issue 1 to continue vital services for senior citizens in our community.