MARBLEHEAD — As town leaders weigh a series of override options to close a multi-million dollar budget gap, members of the Council on Aging are warning what is at stake if voters say “no.”
At their Thursday meeting, Council on Aging staff and board members discussed the town’s ongoing financial challenges and the potential impact on staffing and programming within their department.
The conversation comes as Marblehead grapples with a roughly $7.7 million budget gap, prompting officials to consider both a Prop 2 ½ override and significant service reductions. The town’s Select Board has approved a vote on a tiered override approach that would restore or expand services depending on voter approval, but have also warned that without an override, the town could be forced to eliminate municipal positions and potentially defund entire departments, including the Council on Aging.
In addition to those broader scenarios, officials have already introduced budget measures that would eliminate 18 positions across town, including the COA’s food and general services staff member, Doug Laing.
COA Executive Director Lisa Hooper mentioned conversations she has had with members of the Select Board as a part of their comprehensive department-by-department budget review. In those conversations, she’s mentioned the real impact of losing a staff member.
“You know, Doug — he has really two jobs,” she said during Thursday’s meeting. “He opens, sets up, breaks down the classes. He’s a backup driver … there are a lot of pieces to that job.”
All those responsibilities are tied to services that reach far beyond the walls of the Council on Aging.
According to the COA’s annual report, the department provided more than 6,100 rides last year to 303 seniors — a 41% increase from the previous year. Those trips are mostly tied to medical appointments and nutrition access.
The building also serves as a hub for programming and community connection. More than 1,000 people participated in 290 educational programs last year, and recreation offerings drew nearly 6,800 participants. The fitness center alone accounted for more than 18,800 class visits, with officials noting during the meeting that Zumba classes are one of their most popular offerings for seniors.
Behind the scenes, staff handle a steady stream of individual needs, managing a caseload of about 85 clients. That work includes everything from coordinating services to conducting home visits and helping residents navigate housing, health care and other challenges.
At Thursday’s meeting, council members pointed out that the COA budget is far lesser than some of the other departments facing heavy cuts including the public library, public works and recreation and parks.
“I mean, we have a barebones budget,” Hooper said. While other departments may face larger cuts on paper, the COA has little flexibility to absorb reductions without affecting services. Even so, officials said the department has worked to remain financially stable. Enrollment in those fitness and recreation programs — even at the modest price of $4 per class — has generated enough revenue to offset costs.
“We’re not running out of cash,” said Vice Chair Tom Gawrys. Gawrys talked about increasing the rates of their class instructors to stay competitive, saying that an analysis of the budget with slightly modified rates “still came out with us many thousands of dollars ahead.”
Still, the department relies heavily on municipal funding to be able to keep those programs affordable for senior residents, with roughly three-quarters of its budget coming from the town and other funding streams coming from grants. The COA also depends on volunteers to sustain its operations, with more than 100 volunteers contributing over 2,100 hours of service last year.
Still, staff said that volunteers and grants alone cannot replace the coordination and oversight needed to keep programs running. The department’s staff is small as is, they said, with most people taking on duties outside their roles.
“This is the worst-case scenario right now,” Hooper said. “Best case scenario is that we find funding for that position someplace else.” Hooper also noted that from her perspective, an approval vote for a Tier 1 override would mean that the town would continue to fund those positions.
In the coming weeks, Marblehead officials are expected to finalize the options for a vote on a town override ballot, which will ultimately determine the funding structures for departments like the Council on Aging. For those at Thursday’s meeting, the council remained committed to preserving a network of services that provides community and connection to so many.
