Photo: Senior Center volunteers delivering ‘Meals on Wheels’ to the Pagosa community, April 2024. Photo by Jeff Laydon/Pagosa Photography.
As we move into budget season to set local spending priorities for 2025, all of our local governments have approved draft budgets as of October 15, and have posted the drafts for public review — or will soon have them posted.
Some of our local governments have discussed their draft budgets in considerable detail over the past month. Other entities have revealed very little in the way of detailed information, thus far, in their public discussions.
Some local nonprofits are also discussing their 2025 budget, including Archuleta Seniors Inc. (ASI), the nonprofit organization that currently runs the Pagosa Senior Center programs and kitchen in the northwest wing of the Ross Aragon Community Center. The Senior Center was formed in 1974 and was for many years operated and funded by the Archuleta County government. In 2003, ASI was founded to provide volunteers for the Center, while administration was performed by the County.
ASI stepped up to assume administration of the Senior Center in 2013, during a time when the Archuleta County government had decided to stop managing the Center. At the time, it appeared that sufficient grants existed to fund an independent, nonprofit operation, so long as Archuleta County and the Town of Pagosa Springs could continue to provide a measure of financial support.
From a statement by ASI Executive Director Rosa Chavez:
Since 2013, ASI has worked with thousands of local residents 60 years or better with the goal that they live healthy, vibrant and independent lives. Services’ delivery is driven by the deeply-held value that older adults have an important role in the community.
The transition from a County-run program to a nonprofit-run program did not, however, solve all the funding issues for the Senior Center, and recently Executive Director Chavez and her board of directors have been seeking additional financial help from the Town and County governments, and have continued seeking grants and hosting community fundraising events such as the revitalized Spanish Fiesta.
According to information shared with the County and Town governments by ASI, about 40% of the Archuleta County population is age 55 or older. (According to my pocket calculator, that would be about 5,800 individuals.) About 10% of adults age 65+ are living in poverty, and about 20% of the population are ‘minorities’ — predominantly Hispanic/Latinx and Mixed Race. As is the case in many communities across America, older individuals often struggle with inadequate financial resources and without strong familial or social support.
About 20% of ASI clients live within the town boundaries; the other 80% live in the unincorporated county. We can understand why both out Town and County governments support the Senior Center.
During 2023-2024, ASI served about 900 individuals over the age of 65. Nearly one in three of the individuals in this age range has some form of disability.
The majority of senior facilities in Colorado — and all of the other senior facilities in our Region 9 (which includes 5 counties) — are County-funded and County-staffed. This year, ASI received support from the Town government of around $52,000 by way of discounted rent on their facility in the Town-owned Community Center, and received a subsidy of $280,000 from the County government. The County bumped up their subsidy this year to $280,000, and the Town government provided about $51,000 in donated space and utilities. Other funding streams will bring in about $480,000 this year, for total revenues of about $812,000.
In September, ASI submitted a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which would — if approved by the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners — make the staff of the Senior Center into Archuleta County employees, eligible for the wages and benefits allotted to similar County employees.
Such a conversion would increase the funding needed for Senior Center employees (wages and benefits) from the current $486,000 to about $576,000. Which implies that, compared to County employees, Senior Center staff is currently underpaid.
From the presentation last month by Executive Director Chavez:
I just want to acknowledge that Commissioner Medina advised me and the board last week at our monthly board meeting that the County’s budget is looking very tight this year and while funding is still available for the senior center, other financial priorities will likely not allow you all to be as generous as you had hoped and anticipated earlier in the year. Chad [Eaton], your finance director, has also expressed this, but wanted to know what the Town was doing to support the seniors. I hope I have addressed that.
The first point we’d like to discuss is the September 2024 MOU between ASI and Archuleta County that would facilitate ASI becoming a department of the County through the provision of HR, wages and benefits…
…The second ask: Increase funding by $50,000 up to $330,000 to support increased need in the community as well as:
- Continuing rising food costs, and increased costs for staff/labor
- The addition of health stipend benefits for staff, representing a total increased cost of $50,370 in 2024/annual payroll expenses.
- The need for addition of a part-time bookkeeper (pending, due to negotiations with Archuleta County regarding administrative needs/support)
As the result of reduced funding through the Older Americans Act (regionally allocated by San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging) ASI is receiving less than one-half the level of funding committed two years ago, with FY2024 and FY2025 funding levels flat and a reduction expected for FY2026. ASI has been advised by this funder to be looking for other sources of funds. Early termination of a preschool food contract — food prepared by the Senior Center kitchen for the Headstart preschool — has resulted in a net reduction in 2024 budgeted revenues of $16,626.
Lack of stability of grants/fundraising creates uncertainty and doesn’t allow us to plan and grow to continue to meet the increasing need in our community.
Finally at minimum we’d hope that you at least maintain current funding at 2024 levels of $280,000.
The BOCC has not made a final decision about bringing ASI employees under their wing.
Some of the relevant issues — and sticking points — were discussed at the October 15 BOCC work session.