Former trustee urges support for Butler County senior services levy at Morgan Township meeting

Christine Matasick, a retired Liberty Township trustee and a past member of the Butler County Elderly Services Program (ESP) Advisory Council, told Morgan Township trustees Sept. 8 that the program helps seniors remain in their homes and is funded by a county levy set to expire this year.

"Butler County ESP is funded by the taxpayers… Every one of our taxpayers contribute to the elderly services levy," Matasick said, describing ESP services that include personal care, transportation and care management. She said 46 residents in Morgan Township currently receive ESP services and that, countywide, demand has grown substantially over 20 years.

Matasick told trustees ESP has managed budgets tightly but has had to manage enrollment and "turn away hundreds of seniors who qualify" during the past year. She said providing home‑based services costs the county about $425 per month per client, compared with an estimated $8,000 per month per person in a nursing facility once Medicaid becomes the payer of last resort.

Matasick said the current levy that funds ESP expires at the end of the calendar year and said the measure on the November ballot would renew the existing 1.3‑mill levy and add 0.7 mill; she estimated the proposed increase would cost homeowners about $50 per $100,000 in assessed property value annually. She encouraged trustees to share the information with residents and pointed trustees to the county auditor’s property search tool for levy calculations.

Ending: Trustees received the presentation; no board action was taken at the Sept. 8 meeting on the levy.