South Central nonprofit briefs Griggs County commissioners on transit and senior-meal funding and demand

A representative of South Central, the nonprofit that provides transit and congregate/home-delivered meal services in several counties including Griggs, updated the Griggs County Commission on Oct. 20 about program demand, funding and operational pressures.

Pat, who identified herself as representing South Central, said the organization provides transit service across multiple counties and coordinates the federally funded meal program and local mill-levy funding for seniors. She told the commission that South Central served 1,409 different people in its meal program and provided tens of thousands of meals across its service area last year. For Griggs County specifically, Pat said the transit program made 5,519 rides last year; she provided a county-level breakdown and noted most Griggs rides are rural and cover Cooperstown, Binford, Hannaford and Sutton.

Pat described the funding mix: Older Americans Act funds (administered through the Department of Human Services) contribute per-meal payments, and the Department of Transportation provides federal and state support for transit operations. She said the state had signaled an intent to maintain funding but that the agency contract awards did not fully reflect that intent; the agency’s contract award action meant South Central faced roughly 7,000 fewer state-funded meals compared with prior expectations and that federal funds had not increased.

Pat explained the senior mill levy mechanism and match: a county can levy up to two mills for senior services under Century Code; the state matches one of those mills (Pat said the state match is about 87.5 percent of the first mill) and that county mill-levy proceeds and state match flow to local services. She noted Griggs County’s mill-levy allocation for next year was approximately $50,006.61 as presented in the packet.

Operational cost pressures were a primary theme: increased ridership, rising wages, food and fuel costs and higher insurance premiums (Pat reported an agency vehicle insurance bill of about $192,000) make service delivery tighter. South Central staff also described consolidation of kitchens to control meal costs, variations in per-meal cost by county (Pat said Griggs County meals were among the least expensive at about $10.79 per meal because Valley City prepares and delivers them), and the organization’s policy that meal donations are voluntary and cannot be required under federal law.

Pat gave examples of the program’s social value: outreach workers who visit meal recipients, home-delivered meals that provide welfare checks, and rural riders who rely on buses for dialysis and other medical trips. Commissioners thanked the presenter and asked about state funding prospects and staffing pressures; Pat said recent legislative action provided an increase to rural transit funding, but that cost pressures remained.

Ending: Commissioners received the briefing and asked staff to keep the county updated on any state-level changes that affect local allocations. The county will consider the item as it prepares its budget and mill-levy submission for next year.