Riverdale officials say Weber Human Services excluded city from senior-center funding; council weighs options

Riverdale City Council members and staff reported at a council meeting that Weber Human Services (WHS) has decided to fund four senior centers and exclude Riverdale, prompting city officials to consider alternative funding and program changes while an existing contract runs through June 30, 2025.

Brooks, a city staff member, told the council he attended a WHS meeting in which a number of seniors spoke and WHS “kept trying to throw it back at Riverdale, like we had any control of that funding, which we don't.” Brooks said the WHS board appears to have already decided not to include Riverdale in its multi-center plan and that several speakers at the WHS meeting were not Riverdale residents. “They've made their decision, and they're gonna stick with the 4 senior centers, which excludes out, Riverdale,” Brooks said.

The council emphasized why the decision matters locally. “We are entitled to that as much as anybody is,” Brooks said referring to federal funds that flow to WHS and then to counties. Councilor Arnold said the city is “fully funded” for the near term and that “there's over $1,000,000 in the senior citizen senior center fund. It's in the RDA fund,” though he said exact accounting was not stated in the meeting record.

Brooks and other council members criticized WHS’s stated rationale. Brooks said WHS administrators cited Riverdale’s prior decision decades ago to operate independently as a reason for exclusion; Brooks called that reasoning “comical” and argued Riverdale’s facility and programs are superior to others in the county. He said a Standard-Examiner article quoting WHS leadership made clear that WHS staff do not intend to change course. “It was kinda exactly how I thought it was going to go,” Brooks said.

City staff and councilors described steps the city is taking. A city staff member identified as Rich confirmed the current WHS contract runs from the city fiscal year July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. City staff said WHS offered one-year funding with a hoped-for multiyear partnership that the city believes WHS did not intend to honor. Staff said they will continue to attend WHS meetings but also begin investigating alternate funding mechanisms to cover services once the current contract ends. “We might better spend our time for the duration of this contract in investigating other potential options,” a staff member said.

Councilor Richter praised staff presentations and urged exploring other funding and accountability avenues. Several councilors encouraged Riverdale-area seniors to contact their own city leaders and county commissioners; the council reported that Riverdale met with state legislators Katy Hall and Jill Koford, who expressed interest in the issue.

Council discussion included operational and budget considerations: the council noted the senior center’s associated apartment rents and other revenue sources may need review to avoid long-term shortfalls. Multiple councilors said strategic-planning meetings scheduled for February and May will address long-term options and that the city will try to keep the senior center operating even if county funding is not restored.

No formal council action was taken at the meeting on the senior-center funding decision; councilors asked staff to pursue other funding sources and to continue engagement with WHS and local legislators. The council also urged senior-center users and nonresidents who use Riverdale programs to contact their own local officials.