A financial crisis at the Jefferson County Senior Center is forcing the state to step in. The move has many in the community worried about what comes next.
The Jefferson County Senior Center is now under state control due to significant debt. The Area Agency on Aging for North Florida will take over operations and services starting September 8. Watch the video below to learn how much is owed and how much more is needed to keep the center running. Jefferson County Senior Center placed under state control following financial troubles
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The state will soon oversee the Jefferson County Senior Center due to unpaid contracts.
I spoke with a state leader about next steps and what this change means for seniors.
The center owes about $77,000. That shortfall has left some vendors and staff unpaid.
The Area Agency on Aging for North Florida, which is normally just responsible for the senior centers contract compliance, will now step in as the new provider of nutrition, financial and support services on Sept. 8.
The agency held a town hall Tuesday to inform the community and ask for their input.
Mary Parker has visited the senior center for several years. She says she could tell something was wrong.
We was praying that they dont close our center because that’s the only place we have to go to communicate with different people our age. I dont want them to say we are going to do this, and it never happens. I would really want to see it happen, so they can really lift this place back up like it used to be, Parker said.
Executive Director Lisa Bretz says the agency requested a state waiver to take over center operations and advise the board.
I dont know how they got behind. They did not inform us that they were having any challenges. There are invoices that go back before this year started, but the majority moving forward is what remains unpaidpayroll in particularsince February, Bretz said.
Agency leaders say that to operate securely, the senior center needs three months of operating capitalabout $35,000 per monthalong with a 10% local match of their $200,000 yearly state-funded budget to help expand services.
Senior Center Board President Sandra Sanders spoke with me by phone. She said in part: This building was made for the seniors of Jefferson County, and we will fight to keep it. But we need the communitys help, financially and with volunteers.
The agencys contract runs through the end of the year. The board could then apply to stay in charge or issue an RFP to bring in another agency.
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