Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Senior Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners map out priorities for Washtenaw senior millage: nutrition, centers, homelessness prevention and RFP process
Summary
Board members and public commenters outlined goals for implementing the county's recently approved senior millage, emphasizing nutrition program expansion, operational support for senior centers, an RFP-driven grant program, caregiver supports and a county oversight role for contracting and data.
Washtenaw County commissioners used a broad Jan. 22 working-session conversation to begin shaping policy for implementation of the recently approved senior millage, highlighting nutrition, senior-center operations, older-adult homelessness prevention and an RFP-driven approach for distributing funds.
Commissioner (Maciejewski) — who described a framework he has been refining since summer — opened with a set of proposed priorities that included eliminating wait lists for nutrition services, providing roughly $200,000 for senior-center operations to help centers retain qualified staff, targeting older-adult homelessness through partnerships, and issuing competitive RFPs to support proven community organizations.
Maciejewski said the county should provide central oversight and administrative capacity — potentially a small county “director of aging services” and an aging-program specialist — to manage contracting, reporting and a resource hub for older residents seeking services. He proposed periodic needs assessments and careful definitions for programs such as “minor home repair.”
Public commenters including Gary Muntz, Joanne McCollum (Washtenaw County Road Commissioner), Kat Layton (Ypsilanti resident) and Anna Peckrell (Dexter Senior Center executive director) urged an inclusive allocation process and clearer public communication about timelines and how the millage will benefit underserved seniors. Muntz and Peckrell specifically asked that stakeholders who will deliver services have a role in planning allocations.
Commissioners raised practical questions about priorities and process. Some urged fast, two‑track work: get money flowing quickly to established programs addressing urgent needs (nutrition, home repair, transportation) while designing a longer-term governance, RFP and oversight structure. Several commissioners emphasized avoiding duplication of existing services and using an equity lens to prioritize underserved neighborhoods.
Commissioners also discussed whether the county should directly operate programs or emphasize coordination and contracting with community providers. Commissioners proposed a public working session with the Commission on Aging and municipal partners to gather broader input, and asked county staff to present existing senior-related services and programs already administered through county departments to help align the millage strategy with current services.
No formal votes were taken on specific allocations or structure during the session; commissioners agreed to continue work in future meetings and to set up more focused public engagement and technical planning.
