A routine fiscal 2010 budget review came to an astonishing conclusion at the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night: an impassioned call by board Chairman Leo Blair to increase the Council on Aging budget by $15,000 next year instead of subjecting it to cuts like every other town budget.
COA Director Ginger Quarles sat speechless as Blair outlined his rationale for suggesting this increase in a year of ubiquitous cost-cutting. “It’s not only a good thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do,” asserted Blair. “If we can keep one senior in town by providing more services, it will pay for itself.” When elderly residents sell their homes and move out of town, they are typically replaced by families with school-age children, and the cost to the town of educating those children is substantial, Blair said.
—COA Director
Ginger Quarles
Furthermore, Blair said that the Planning Board’s approval this week of 42 units of senior housing on Ayer Road will likely mean an influx of new elderly residents in need of COA services. It is generally believed that few Harvard residents would meet the income guidelines to qualify for these affordable apartments, so most of the residents would be new to town, he surmised. Developer Lou Russo has estimated that his building will generate $30,000 in new property tax revenue, so it makes sense to spend some of that money on services for the elderly, Blair said. And aside from new residents, the disastrous ice storm this past December provided ample evidence of the importance of outreach to elderly people already living in town, he said, and of the harm that could come from cutting services.
Quarles, who described her department as “three part-time people working a total of 49 hours a week,” had mixed feelings about Blair’s proposal. “It’s my job to advocate for the seniors in this town,” she said, adding that she has no doubt that more outreach and other important services are needed. But asking for a budget increase when every other department is being forced to cut spending is “an awkward position to be in,” she said. On Wednesday, Quarles added that she appreciates Blair’s support, but that she’s not comfortable with the idea of seeking additional town funding without broad-based support from the Finance Committee and other town boards.
For the most part, the other selectmen agreed with Blair that the COA budget is underfunded and that the town should look for ways to correct the situation. But the timing of Blair’s proposal was a problem for Selectman Ron Ricci, who said he would fully support using tax revenue from Russo’s apartments for elderly services but that the apartments won’t be finished for at least 16 months.
Selectwoman Lucy Wallace argued against Blair’s suggestion that Quarles quickly prepare a new budget showing how she would spend an additional $15,000, a budget that would presumably be up for discussion at a meeting of the selectmen, School Committee, and Finance Committee Saturday. Mindful of how much time Quarles has had to devote to budgeting in the past few months, Wallace urged her to prepare “something very simple” outlining a plan for expanded services. And to avoid criticism from other cash-strapped departments, Quarles should make it clear that it was the selectmen, not the COA, who pushed for an increase, Wallace said.
