Should Kalamazoo County levy a tax to help fund services for seniors? Voters will have a chance to decide in August. The County Commission voted 6 to 5 along party lines on Tuesday to put the question on the ballot during the primary.
The proposed rate is 0.35 mills, expiring after six years. A homeowner with a taxable property value of $100,000 would pay about $35 annually.
The “senior millage” as it’s known would help pay for everything from home-delivered meals for seniors to vision and hearing care to ramp installation to elder abuse prevention. Right now the county has a wait list for seniors in need of some services.
About one-fifth of Kalamazoo County residents are more than 60 years old, and about 17 percent of those residents live in poverty.
On Tuesday, Julie Osterhouse told the board that the millage would make a difference for Kalamazoo seniors, including herself.
“I already am availing myself of a couple of services and I’ve got, see two or three coming down the road like the Meals on Wheels and Things. But this is a very serious matter and I’d like to see it taken care of,” she said.
But Republican Commissioner John Gisler, who voted against putting the issue on the ballot says the county should look in its existing budget to find money for senior services.
“I’m a senior myself, in case you haven’t noticed. But I do think we need to quit kicking the can down the road with millage after millage after millage for whatever the cause may be and start addressing prioritizing our budgets,” he said.
