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Lakewood Senior Citizens Advisory Commission
June 8, 2005 Minutes
Commission Members Present: Roice Horning, Jackie Campeau , Joanne Ruzzo,
Dick Reutter, Walt Heidenfelder, George Hoerter,
Bill Minard, Carolyn Evans, John Lasswell
City Council: Carol Kesselman, Barbara Martin
Staff: Edie Richey, Tami Fischer, Peggy Jones
Cultural Diversity Commission
Liaison: Harry Cullis
Heritage, Culture & the Arts
Liaison David Wiechman
Meeting called to order by Chairman, Roice Horning at 4:00 p.m.
Minutes: Motion made by George Hoerter and seconded by John Lasswell to approve minutes. Motion approved unanimously.
Announcements:
Announcements listed in the Agenda were noted:
· A City Council Proclamation was presented recognizing May as Older
Americans month "in honor of senior residents for their enrichment of our
community".
· The State Conference on the Aging will be held on June 23. Roice, George
and Richard are planning to attend.
· Announcements regarding candidates for the November election: Bunny
Malm filed for Ward 1. There has been no notice of Dave Wiechman filing for
Ward 4.
Commission Business:
City Budget Realities: A discussion was held about City budget realities and
the Commission's stance concerning potential budget cuts and the potential for
a sales tax increase. Carol Kesselman recommended the Commission identify the
priorities for Lakewood's senior population and submit a written copy for review
during the June 20th Council study session.
Barbara Martin also urged commission members attend the citizens input sessions on June 28 and 29th to provide input, as private citizens on what services are valued in Lakewood.
Carolyn asked if Council had decided to put a sales tax increase on the November
ballot. Carol Kesselman stated that there is a consensus from City Council to
do that, but they are awaiting feedback from the citizen sessions and the structuring
of ballot language. A study done prior to recent bad press suggested that a
sales tax increase was favorable to Lakewood citizens.
Tami provided a list of potential budget cuts related to senior services:
· The Lakewood Rides budget will be cut from $397,000 to $200,000 in
2006 and will be completely eliminated in 2007.
· Older Adult Programs at Clements Center will be offered only three
days a week, rather than five in 2006 and 2007. Staffing levels will change,
resulting in a $178,566 savings.
· Senior programs receive 50% of the budget for Housing and Family Services;
therefore seniors will be severely impacted by proposed budget cuts.
· The Senior Reachout Program may be eliminated or seriously threatened
with staff cuts.
· The Rise Above program which provides respite care for families with
children and young adults with disabilities will be eliminated, impacting multi-generational
families.
· Police/security will be maintained at the current level since recent
cuts have been made.
· Parks and recreation: Rec Center hours will be shortened. Seventy out
of 90 parks will be mothballed, resulting in reduced maintenance and watering.
There will be reduced lighting (potential for greater vandalism) and trash pickup
will occur only once per month. Active, revenue-generating fields will be maintained.
Outdoor pools will be closed. Some senior drop-in exercise programs will be
eliminated.
· Heritage, Culture & Arts also has cuts, no exhibits, and a reduced
operating schedule.
Walt, George, and Joanne will meet with Roice on Thursday, June 16th at 4:00 to complete a Commission statement of recommended priorities for the 2006-2007 budget.
Senior Watch Proposal: Joanne reported on a Senior Watch proposal. She spoke with Lani Peterson, volunteer coordinator for the Neighborhood Watch program. Lakewood Police are planning a Senior Welfare Check program with referrals coming through David Appel. Volunteers will be trained to do home welfare checks on seniors. Edie provided additional input, stating the program was started by Al Padilla to do senior welfare checks on repeat callers and help reduce the number of calls from those individuals. He is planning a pilot project in north Lakewood. Joanne and Edie will develop input for the Neighborhood Watch News.
Committee Reports:
Legislative Committee: John mentioned that Tabor is on hold for next 5 years. Bond Issue D would provide some money for schools, school districts in distress, and roads. Referendum C is the State's attempt to recover resources from the effects of Tabor. There have been many significant Federal cuts in programs that deal with seniors. Walt suggested putting off any public meetings on social security until after the election
Communications Committee: Carolyn said the Communications Committee discussed the Senior Watch Program and felt there needs to be a greater emphasis on seniors who live alone and targeting family members to educate them on seniors' issues and services. George indicated
that he is having difficulty getting his press releases published. Barbara and
Carol said they would meet with Stacy and George to make this a better process.
West Corridor Light Rail System: Roice said the RTD has advertised for a PR firm to handle public input for station design. Roice requested the Commission think about a volunteer to act as a liaison to provide input to the design process.
Council: Carol mentioned that the Council has tried to keep residents informed and educated on the budget process by televising council sessions.
Staff: Edie has been asked by the Wellness Consortium to help write a state plan for aging well. The group's emphasis is on activities and services, but Edie is trying to include input on continuum of care, socialization, and community-based services as part of the model. Edie attended the Regional Conference on Aging breakout session on public relations, which reinforced the need for creating awareness of senior issues and providing information on available services.
Cultural Diversity Commission: Harry Cullis discussed the results of the partnership survey. They had between 50-60 respondents. The broad conclusion was that a high level of confusion exists on what level of government or nonprofit provides the services they need. It is very difficult to reach this target population. There is a very serious lack of knowledge on what services are provided by Lakewood city government. The Commission is looking at different methods to better help the City educate this population.
Heritage, Culture and the Arts Commission: Dave Wiechman stated the HCA Commission has submitted paperwork to the IRS to form the HCA Alliance, a 501(c)(3) foundation for generating revenue sources to fund the arts. The Family Fire Muster will be held this Saturday at Red Rocks. Dave indicated that he will be running for Council in Ward 4 and provided his views on a potential tax increase.
The Regional Conference on Aging discussion was tabled for the next meeting.
Roice questioned if we should cancel the August meeting. Walt said due to pending budget decisions, the Commission probably needs to utilize every meeting prior to the election to address different aspect of these issues.
Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made by John Lasswell, seconded by Jackie Campeau. Meeting adjourned at 6:05 p.m.
Secretary
Date Approved
The City of Lakewood does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age or disability in the provision
of services. For disabled persons needing reasonable accommodations to attend
or participate in a city service program, call 303-987-4840 Voice/TTY, as far
in advance as possible. Alternate formats of this document available upon request.
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