Kim Smallwood, program manager at the Fairburn Road Senior Center, told a Douglas County community panel that county services for people 60 and older — including congregate meals, home‑delivered meals, homemaker services and non‑emergency medical transportation — are not income‑restricted and serve roughly 500 residents.

"We don't look at income at all," Sherry Griffith, supervisor of senior programs, said in response to a resident's question about eligibility. Griffith said the only program that uses income criteria is the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which follows the Atlanta Community Food Bank's rules.

Greg Baker, the Douglas County tax commissioner, advised homeowners to verify that their homestead exemption remains on file after any change to a deed. "You don't have to reapply. If you already have it, it'll stay on board unless you change your deed or you sell your property," Baker said, noting that deed changes sometimes cause exemptions to be dropped inadvertently by the assessor's office.

Baker also said a recent state law requires e‑filing for deed changes to reduce fraud. "You can no longer just walk into the clerk's office and change your deed," he said. Under the e‑filing system, the county receives electronic records and property owners are more likely to be notified if a deed changes.

The panel encouraged residents who change their deed — for example when adding or removing a spouse or placing property in a trust — to check with the assessor's office to confirm the exemption remains in place.

The panel also described how Meals on Wheels enrollment works: a caller is screened, placed on a wait list, assigned a case manager who conducts an assessment, and then is assigned to an appropriate route for meal delivery. Kim Smallwood and Sherry Griffith emphasized collaboration between case managers and the meal program to match routes and services.

Next steps: panelists left contact information for further questions and encouraged residents to visit county webpages or call the offices represented at the meeting for assistance with enrollment or exemption questions.