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Smelter City Senior Citizens' Center seeks separate mill-levy renewals for operations and food; center says Meals on Wheels have grown 50% since 2024
Summary
Leigha Bates asked commissioners to place two mill-levy questions on the primary ballot: a three-mill levy to support general operations of the Smelter City Senior Citizens' Center (Metcalf building) and a separate three-mill levy to fund food programming; Bates said the center served 430 seniors and provided about 21,000 meals last year, with an annual Meals on Wheels shortfall of roughly $68,400.
Leigha Bates, director of the Smelter City Senior Citizens' Center, asked the commission to place two mill-levy questions on the primary ballot. The first, Resolution 26-04, would renew three mills to support center operations; the second, Resolution 26-05, would levy three mills specifically for food programming.
Bates said the center serves about 430 seniors annually and last year provided roughly 21,000 meals, including 16,500 Meals on Wheels, a figure she said is up "50% since 2024." She described a monthly Meals on Wheels billing shortfall of about $5,700 (roughly $68,400 per year) between billed costs and revenue received. Bates noted the building is commonly known as the Metcalf Center and said she would amend communications to include both names to avoid voter confusion. County Attorney Morgan Smith and Clerk Toni Hofland reviewed the ballot language and confirmed it complies with 2025 statutory changes. CEO Bill Everett said community support has historically been strong for the senior levy.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 005 ("The Smelter City Senior Citizens' Center has served the Anaconda community at this location since 1977."), topfinish SEG 006 ("I've started on all of our communications and social media marketing writing the whole long thing out, 'Smelter City Senior Citizens' Center at the Metcalf'").
