Despite Cuts, Senior Services Budget Still Increased

The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners will have to cut some $17,000 from the county's senior services budget, but has gained over $100,000 in additional funding for the next fiscal year.

According to documents provided for Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Commissioners, the cut of $17,144 for the remainder of 2013 is due to federal funding cuts of some $56,877 in the State Fiscal Year 2014 budget. The remaining $39,733 worth of cuts will be enforced in the county's Fiscal Year 2014 budget.

Despite the cuts, the value of the county's annual Aging sub-grant Contract with the Atlanta Regional Commission has increased by a total of $116,011.

This increase will allow the county to hire a part-time case manager and begin a new, federally-funded Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) incentive program that delivers nutritious food to seniors' homes.

The Board of Commissioners will consider authorizing County Manager Jerry Cooper to execute the new contract during their Tuesday evening meeting, which begins at 6 p.m., immediately following the board's 3 p.m. work session. Both meetings will be located at the Cherokee County Administrative Complex on Bluffs Parkway in Canton.