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Halifax seniors and supporters urge board to protect Council on Aging services as staff resignations bite
Summary
Residents and letters urged the Select Board to preserve Council on Aging services — bookmobile, Meals on Wheels and replacement staffing — after two assistants quit and town faces fiscal constraints. The board was told layoffs are planned elsewhere and that a special town meeting could include items to protect services.
Halifax residents and advocates urged the Select Board on Tuesday to protect core Council on Aging (COA) services as the town finishes a tight fiscal year.
Two recent letters read into the record pleaded for preserving the Holmes Public Library bookmobile and Meals on Wheels and for maintaining COA staffing that residents said is already stretched thin. "These services may be small items in the budget, but they are large items in the lives of our senior disabled citizens," wrote Georgiana Kowallis in a submitted note.
Isabella Rose cautioned that cuts to COA hours and staff would leave isolated seniors without transportation or access to programs and asked the town and local volunteers to intensify support. Several speakers in the room echoed those concerns and praised Director Darlene Regan, who described expanded participation in COA programs and said staffing shortages have forced the department to lean on community partners and volunteers.
Frederick Corrigan, active with COA programming, said two assistant positions had recently been vacated without immediate replacements and asked why recruitment had not started. "One director cannot continue to shoulder the responsibilities of the entire department," read part of Isabella Rose's letter. Supporters urged the board to consider adding articles to the special town meeting warrant (the board opened the warrant on Tuesday for July 29) or otherwise prioritize service preservation.
Town Administrator Steven Silva told the board the town is closing FY26 with constrained resources: several positions were frozen earlier in the fiscal year, and two town-hall employees are due to be laid off at the start of July. Silva said those decisions will affect service hours and operations and that staff will prepare a resident budget dashboard and continue outreach (including monthly "coffee with the town administrator") to increase transparency.
The board heard testimony across the room that cutting COA support would force seniors to travel outside town for services and would undermine programs that residents described as life‑sustaining. Several supporters said they would mobilize to bring the matter before the special town meeting if needed.
The board did not take a final vote on COA funding at the meeting but asked staff to discuss options and to bring potential warrant language and budget information to a future meeting so the board and residents can consider next steps ahead of July 29.
