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Council on Aging approves annual report, shifts focus to state emergency-preparedness grant
Summary
The council approved its annual report and staff reported withdrawing a DOT grant application to pursue state emergency-preparedness funding and a separate food-shelving grant; the commission approved the report by unanimous vote.
The Council on Aging approved its annual report during the Dec. 12 meeting and received updates on grant activity and program developments. The commission voted to approve the report by roll call; the motion passed unanimously.
Staff reported that the commission chose to withdraw a planned Department of Transportation (DOT) grant application for a fiscal year 2026 transit project and instead pursue a recently announced state Request for Proposals for emergency planning and preparedness. Staff said the state released the RFP for Title III agencies and that the state is awarding funds drawn from remaining COVID-related allocations; meeting discussion referenced a statewide pool of roughly $1,750,000 made available for related projects. Commission staff characterized the opportunity as noncompetitive for agencies that meet Title III eligibility and said they will prepare an application over the coming days.
The commission also noted a small grant from the Alaska Food Coalition on the city council consent agenda; the grant will fund shelving to store shelf-stable food for distribution. The exact dollar amount cited in the meeting packet was not clearly stated in the transcript and is recorded here as not specified; the commission said the funding is for shelving to hold long-term food supplies.
Staff reported program participation increases: home-delivered meals have risen, and congregate-meal attendance has held steady while overall program participation has increased roughly 10% annually since 2022. Staff said they are pursuing vehicle replacement or a 15-passenger van in the coming year and that planned program activities include a Christmas party and a talent show.
The commission approved the annual report and instructed staff to continue grant work and to place related items on the council agenda as needed. The vote to approve the report was recorded by roll call with all members voting yes.
