New tax proposed for local Senior Center

Proponents of a senior services fund to help increase the level of support services to Vernon County seniors say the fund will generate more than $100,000 and cost the average Vernon County property owner approximately the same as a fast food restaurant meal.

The measure is supported by a committee, the Citizens for Senior Citizen's Services Fund and, according to the Vernon County Clerk's Office, no committee has been formed to campaign against it. The committee has prepared some educational material to help inform voters.

According to a brochure the committee printed while funding hasn't been cut to senior programs they have not increased in several years despite rising costs.

Proponents say the funds will be available in all Vernon County communities and none of the money will be spent outside of Vernon County. A seven-member board would be appointed by the Vernon County Commission to administer the funds generated by the tax

The services that would be funded include funds to maintain and expand home delivered meals, expand transportation for medical care, expansion of in-home service visits, senior health and wellness programming and to revive the House Calls program, a program to provide minor home repairs. Currently requests for services outstrip the funds available to provide the services so some seniors are not being helped.

The committee included a graph in the brochure that illustrated the source of funds for the senior center: Donation of goods, 16 percent; contribution by seniors, 18 percent; federal and state funds, 33 percent and fundraising efforts, 33 percent.

The five cent per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation tax means that a home appraised at $50,000 and assessed at $9,500 (real estate is assessed at 19 percent of appraised value) would cost an additional $4.75. A $5,000 vehicle (personal property is assessed at 33.3 percent of appraised value) would be assessed at $1,665 and would cost an additional 83 cents.

The ballot issue is simply worded: Shall Vernon County levy a tax of five cents per each one hundred dollars assessed valuation upon all taxable property for the purpose of providing services to persons sixty years of age or older?