Dawson County hears late FY2026 Legacy Link funding report as meals, staffing costs rise

Dawson County Senior Services Director Dawn Johnson told the Board of Commissioners on Sept. 18 that the county has received a recently issued FY2026 contract estimate from Legacy Link, the area agency that administers Older Americans Act funding and other supports for senior programs in the county.

Johnson said Legacy Link’s initial estimate for FY2026 was $170,007.67 but described a pattern of late amendments and differences between estimates and final contract amounts in past years. She said last year’s contract documentation contained a discrepancy she and staff had flagged and that Legacy Link later issued three addenda that increased the county’s funding. Johnson reported a difference in the paperwork last year between a listed $685,193 figure and a contract amount of $541,003.69 and said the net difference for FY2026 is “right at $39,000.”

The difference, Johnson said, stems largely from higher per-meal reimbursement and rising personnel costs. She said the per-meal reimbursement increased from $5.05 to $5.65 and that, for the roughly 40,000 meals the county serves, applying the program’s 60% coverage calculation produces roughly $24,000 of the increase from meals alone. Johnson also cited increases for cost-of-living adjustments, merit, and longevity pay.

Johnson further noted the limited federal contribution to local senior programs, saying the county receives about 19% of program funding from federal Older Americans Act sources and that the remainder is funded by local taxpayer dollars and other sources. “We do not have a wait list. If somebody needs food, we give them food,” Johnson said, adding that local commissioner support fills gaps that federal and state funds do not.

Johnson told the commission that the FY2026 contract need not be placed on the consent agenda immediately and could appear at the next meeting; she also noted the contract’s official start date of July 1 and that Dawson County had not yet received reimbursement checks for that period as of the Sept. 18 meeting.

Why it matters: Dawson County’s budget will absorb the bulk of cost increases for meal delivery and senior-center services if federal and state allocations remain unchanged. Commissioners heard the report in public session and were asked to consider timing for placing the contract on the county agenda for formal action.

Johnson’s presentation included figures and past-administration practices she said Legacy Link has followed; she flagged discrepancies in last year’s paperwork and described potential variability in final award amounts due to post-award amendments. The county’s options discussed briefly were to move the contract forward at this meeting or defer to the next regular meeting to allow time for additional paperwork and possible reimbursement processing.

The presentation did not include a formal vote or adoption of the contract. Commissioners asked clarifying questions and indicated they could include the item on a future agenda if staff recommended doing so.