Elderbridge Agency on Aging presents annual report, asks Winnebago County for higher per-senior support

Jodi Applegate, Healthy Aging Director for the Elderbridge Agency on Aging, presented the agency’s annual report to the Winnebago County trustees and asked the county to increase its FY27 contribution to $33.30 per senior. Applegate said the report compares FY24 and FY25 funding and service levels and includes a breakdown of local funding and program uses.

Applegate told trustees that county funding is highly leveraged: "for every dollar that we have received in county funds, we've spent $21.54 for services for seniors." She said demand for congregate meal sites and home-delivered nutrition shifted between fiscal years and that the agency tightened eligibility for home-delivered meals, encouraging people who are not homebound to use congregate sites for the social benefits and to reserve home delivery for those who truly need it.

Trustees asked for clarification about home-delivered nutrition rules and local site capacity. Applegate said the agency reviewed who truly needed home delivery and where congregate sites could absorb participants; she cited examples in Forest City and Buffalo Center where staff and volunteers adjusted schedules to sustain service.

Applegate also noted staff changes at Elderbridge and introduced the agency’s new CEO, Stacia Timmer, who had previously served as COO. The agency provided trustees a one-page insert with the county-specific breakdown and the formal FY27 funding ask.

No formal county action on the ask was taken at the meeting; trustees thanked Applegate and signaled they would consider the request during the budget process.